Nisha
by Mooncat99
Summary: A stranger walks into Pino's and it turns out that he knows Steph very well. He's also got a lot of trouble that follows him. Nothing of which Ranger likes very much.
1. Prologue

**Title: Nisha**  
**Author: **Mooncat  
**Summary: **A stranger walks into Pino's and it turns out that he knows Steph very well. He's also got a lot of trouble that follows him. Nothing of which Ranger likes very much.  
**Rating:** T  
**Spoilers/Warnings: **A few words here and there, mention of torture, character death  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters, they belong to Janet Evanovich.  
**Note: **In response to a challenge on another board (for old times sake).I've started this story some three years ago, so it's after ten big ones.

_**Nisha**_

**Prologue**

„Hey, Pino, get us the usual!"

"Family Pizza with pepperoni and anchovies!"

"Two Meatball subs and two bears!"

"Just a coke… oh what the hell, get me a pizza with mushrooms and ham!"

The orders sired through Pino's, the usual haste around midday. It already had died down a bit as most of the rush hour was over. Left were the regulars, a lot of cops, like Gazarra, Costanza and Big Dog who occupied one of the corner tables near the window. Or the plain clothes like Morelli who sat at a table with some blonde FBI bitch who looked around very arrogantly and undignified. Or the bunch of men in black in the table corner in the back, the two black giants with their backs to the wall. Ah, and of course not to forget some of the desperate fathers who got their kids in tow so their wives could go wild at the sales in Macy's. Which explained why Pino and his people had it fairly easy today, because otherwise a lot of the women would have been here too. Not that Pino was worried. He knew well enough that he'd get his share in the evening, when the tired women stopped by to quickly grab something. Or phoning for deliveries as the sales day was too exhausting for most of them to bother with making something for dinner.

So it was no wonder that when the stranger stepped into Pino's around 1:30 pm every guest's eyes were on him. Oh, not that it was unusual for strangers to come eat at Pino's. Normally though they came earlier. Nor was anyone finding his choice of the meatball sub of any special interest. No, it was his words that captured everyone's attention.

As Pino went to him to give him the menu card he waved it off with a lopsided grin. "No thanks. I heard you get the best Meatball Subs of the world here. So here I am, to see if that's true."

"Oh certainly, Sir!" Pino returned proudly. "So I got recommended?" he asked, always pleased by such information.

"More like just got told, but yeah," the stranger replied, a small smile playing around his lips, what made Stacey Traveport, giving out drinks behind the bar, to almost overspill the beer she was just pouring out.

She had already found the stranger a definite first price when he had walked in, but this secret smile made it even more obvious just what a catch this man was with his wild, a bit ruffled black hair, the enormous green eyes and the lightly tanned skin. Not to mention his build who promised a very nice six-pack and strong arms to catch any woman in a blink of a second. Dreamingly, she sighed, envisioning herself in those arms and already planning her strategy to offer the stranger a friendly tour of Trenton. And her apartment.

"And to whom I owe this obviously excellent recommendation?" Pino asked curiously. Whoever it was, he'd get a Meatball Sub on the house.

"An old friend. Actually I hoped to meet her here. I was told that I may find her here," the stranger answered, looking around and sighing when once again he didn't see her.

"Ah, a little lady, hmm?" Pino asked and winked.

The stranger gave a very male laugh back that had Stacey's hopes sinking. "Well little…" he drawled, a thick Irish accent surfacing. "But perhaps I just missed her?"

"Perhaps. Tell me her name and I'll tell you if I saw her," Pino urged him on.

"Ah, Stephanie Orr."

The conversations in Pino's came to an abrupt stop as everyone turned their attention toward the stranger. So far the guests had listened with half an ear. It was a stranger after all and as most of them worked for law enforcement and the rest just was a gossiping bunch par excellence it naturally interested anyone. But the fact that this man was looking for their favorite bounty hunter was another thing altogether. Not only because her life was better than any soap opera could ever be, or action show for that matter. Or crime show. But also because she was good friends with most of the men at Pino's and each and every one of them was prepared to protect the curly head to all costs. And a stranger turning up, claiming to be friends with her but not even knowing her right name was more than suspicious.

Pino's enthusiasm cooled down obviously and he met Morelli's eyes, seeking advice on how to proceed.

The stranger though seemed to have noticed the air shift and lifted an eyebrow. "Or Plum perhaps. It's been a while and I'm not sure if she kept the Dick's name or not. Probably not, the way I know her," he said amicably.

Pino still waited for a sign from Morelli as to what to do. The cop mustered the stranger with his cold cop glare, the blond FBI lady forgotten beside him. Finally he gave an imperceptible nod.

Pino shook his head. "Sorry, Sir, she hasn't been in yet."

"No problem, I can always try it again at her apartment," the stranger waved it off and Pino walked away.

Slowly the conversations started to stir up again, but the attention was still focused on the stranger.

* * *

_At the corner table by the window_

"You know the guy?" Carl asked Eddie in a low voice.

Eddie shook his head and frowned. "Why should I?"

"Well, you know her the best from all of us!" Carl exclaimed.

Eddie sighed. "And? Doesn't mean I know all the guys in her life." Frowning, he looked over at the stranger. Though he knew them pretty good, or he had thought so so far.

"Perhaps he isn't a friend of Ms Plum after all," Big Dog said, a warning clearly humming in his voice.

Carl scowled. "He better not, or he will find out just how unfriendly a place Trenton can be."

* * *

_At the corner table in the back_

"What do you think, Tank? Is he trouble?" Lester asked, glancing at the bar.

Tank scowled. "Sure he is. The question is rather what kind of trouble he'll bring the Bombshell."

"Shouldn't we inform Ranger?" Bobby asked, frowning.

Tank fixed his gaze on the back of the stranger who had gotten his sub in the meantime. "No, let's first get some information on him."

Lester and Bobby exchanged a worried glance. They just hoped Tank would get the blast once Ranger found out they didn't inform him immediately.

* * *

_At yet another table_

"Really, Detective. I expect more attention when I'm discussing a case with the local police. Which is, if I may remind you, just a very kind gesture from our side."

Morelli turned his stare away from the stranger's back to throw the arrogant bitch a dark look. "Oh yeah, like you had any choice in that matter. May I remind you that the FBI would still be completely in the dark, wouldn't it be for my contacts? Now, Agent Stowe, why don't you eat your salad and give me a much deserved break?"

Not bothering to wait for an answer he turned her his back to continue his stare down of the stranger.

* * *

_And at yet another table_

"Hey, Mare. There's a man looking for Steph at Pino's."

"Really? Who?"

"No idea. Don't know him. He's not from here. Tall, broad, dark hair, white skin, green eyes, Irish accent. Ring any bells?" Larry asked his wife while he firmly took fork and knife out of his youngest son, who exercised at being the worlds worst drummer ever.

It was silent on the other end of the line, only mechanical voices and hysteric shrieks hearable in the background. "No…. I don't think so… unless… but no, that's impossible."

To Larry's surprise she sounded bothered. "Mare?" he asked.

"Nothing." There was another pause. "Steph already knows about this?"

Larry shrugged. "Dunno. But don't think so. He claims he hasn't seen her so far. Actually came here to look for her. – Tommy, put that out of your mouth. That's nothing to eat!"

"Well, she'll hear it soon enough. You managing with the kids?"

"Probably. And of course. Everything is peachy fine." And Larry suppressed a curse when Jimmy fingered with the ketchup bottle and a thick red stream hit Larry's gray shirt.

His wife wisely didn't comment on his last statement. "How's the air?"

"Thick. Morelli stares at him with a big frown between his eyes. The cops probably plan to show themselves from their worst side. And the Rangemen are looking like they already have him secured in their trunk until his flight into the next war zone," Larry reported.

Mary Lou laughed. "Gotta go, but keep me updated. Love you."

"Sure. Love you t… oh wait. Guess who just arrived."

"Steph?"

"You bet, honey!"

* * *

_Outside Pino's_

Seriously pissed off, Steph slammed the door shut. What a fricking miserable day! It was out sales at Macy's and where was she? Right, chasing some pervert old little thief. Without luck so far. First Vinnie had screamed at her she better get the old fart today or she'd be jobless. Oh, Steph was taunted, but then she looked out the office window at her new little car and thought about the increasing insurance rates and very unhappily and unwillingly followed Vinnie's orders. And she almost had the old bastard, but then the little weasel throw the guacamole over her head and then drove off in her wonderful new car! That bastard! Stealing her lovely shiny car!

Lula gave her a lift to her parents where she hauled Big Blue out of their garage. Yep, she was back at Big Blue! Jeez, could this day get any worse? 'Ohhhh, better not name the devil Steph!' She reminded herself with a shudder. It was only shortly after lunch after all. Long overdue for a delicious meal at Pino's in Steph's opinion. And after that she may even head out to Macy's and try to find Lula, Connie and Mary Lou in the jungle.

And Vinnie could fire her all he wanted. Actually, he could kiss her ass…

_Euwwwww!_

Crunching up her nose in disgust, she pushed open the door to Pino's, still too pissed off to notice the anxious and quiet tension in her favorite pizza place. Nor did she notice the eyes on her, flickering from her to the stranger sitting at the bar, who had looked up at the bell ringing and then broke out in a big grin at the sight of her. Neither did she notice the hostile and brisk way Stacey took on her orders for a big coke and a mega large pizza. She was oblivious to the collectable hush as the stranger got up from his stool and went over to stand behind her.

"Nisha."

The softly spoken nickname she hadn't heard in years in the silky but still rough voice with the irresistible Irish accent she thought she'd never hear again in her life made her froze in shock though.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Well, I hope you like this introduction. And a little note for those who remember this story from PFF: I finally finished this baby (after two and a half years since the last post - not bad, huh?), so stay tuned until we'll get to the new parts in a few chapters!)_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

All color left her face and she suddenly felt faint. 'My God, this can't be true, your mind is playing tricks with you.' Steph repeated that to herself over and over while she very, very slowly turned around, her eyes not daring to actually look up though.

She was afraid. Afraid to see that it had just been her imagination after all. Afraid that it wasn't her immagination and he was really there, standing in front of her.

Then she felt a finger gently laying itself under her chin to raise her head, a touch that shot electricity through her body like she only knew it from the touch of only one other person. But this was definitely not Ranger. Trembling, she hesitantly let her eyes move up from the dark green colored chest up to the long, graceful neck and recognition started to settle in. When her eyes finally met the strong, determined chin with that little dimple right in the middle she always had found so cute and adorable and irresistible, she was already beginning to accept that what she saw (and felt) was really real. She was past the acceptance when she passed the full, soft lips and the perfect middle big roman nose. Still, she hesitated before she moved that last inch to meet the emerald shining eyes. She wasn't ready. Not yet.

Perhaps not ever.

"Nisha…"

The half desperate and half pleading word though had more power than any resist left in Steph and she let her eyes move that last inch and their eyes met finally. The whirlwind of emotions that met her in the so familiar emerald eyes broke through Steph's stupor and the impact of the truth and realness of him standing before her finally slammed into her.

With a strangled sob she threw herself into his arms. He caught her easily and pressed her to the hard front of his body. Steph clasped her arms around his neck, her hands losing themselves in the silky soft dark hair and she pressed her face into the crook of his neck. His sent, so manly and wonderfully him, engulfed her and she sobbed again.

"Pat…"

She felt him tremble and then Pat drew her even closer, molded her body into his and a deep, deep sigh of outmost relief escaped his chest. "Oh, Nisha…" he whispered, his voice thick with emotions.

Then he leaned back a bit and their eyes met again for a moment. The next moment, Pat leaned down and their lips met. This instant the longing and hunger enflamed and he crushed her to him, putting all he could into that one kiss, taking possession of her mouth, her tongue, her soul. But Steph met his fiery passion with nothing lesser and the two got lost in each other and washed away on a high wave of sensations and desire and raw lust.

Neither of them knew how much time had passed when they finally surfaced out of the sea of emotions to lean their foreheads against each other, slightly out of breath and definitely out of the ability to find any words.

Slowly, reality began to seep back into their consciousness and Steph groaned. Great. She bet the phone at her mother's was already ringing berserk. Not to mention that she would be besieged the second she stepped away from Pat. Questions about what was going on and demands of explanations would fire her way.

And with this thought the impact of what exactly it meant that Pat was here, holding her in his arms, in flesh and blood, settled down. Instantly, she saw red and hot and fierce anger rushed through her and took completely over.

With an angry roar she pushed forcefully away from him, giving Pat a good shove. But that was not enough. Far from enough! Steph reached out and let her hand connect with Pat's cheek in a loud, reverberating slap. The next second her knee rammed up.

He was fast enough to avoid full impact but he still saw stars and heard birds singing. The other men in Pino's winced in compassion and quite a few of them covered their most favorite piece with their hands. And a lot of them had new respect in their eyes for the fact that the poor son of a bitch wasn't on his knees yet, wallowing.

"You goddamned fucking piece of shit! I swear to God I never EVER met more of an insidious, mean, nasty, vicious and cruel bastard than you, you mother of all assholes!" Steph screamed, out of her mind with fury. And so very hurt. "HOW?! How could you do this to me!?"

She didn't notice the tears streaming down her face, but Pat did and he looked like each tear of her burned him like acid. He reached out to her but she slapped his hand away and stepped back.

"Don't touch me, you son of a bitch!" she exclaimed and gave him a death glare.

He sighed. "Nisha…"

"And don't talk to me! Best you just get your rotten ass the hell out of here. I don't want to see you. Ever again!" And Steph turned away.

But Pat's hand shot forward and grabbed her on the elbow, whirling her to face him again. "Please, Nisha, you need…"

He was interrupted by a heavy hand that grabbed him hard on his shoulder.

"I believe the lady told you clearly to leave her alone." It was Tank who had been the fastest from the men in the room, moving forward to teach that guy a lesson. The guy was wrong if he thought he could manhandle the Bombshell around like this and Tank was determined to make that clear to this guy. Nothing would please him more right in that moment than to give this bastard's face a remodeling. And Tank was good in remodeling faces. In fact, he excelled at it.

What now happened could no one have ever imagined. Even a long time afterwards the witnesses couldn't quite believe that they really had seen Tank, the ultimate brute, unstoppable and unyielding force, go down. No one could tell how it happened. One second Tank was about to pound the living hell out of this stranger, the next he was on his back, the stranger holding him in a secure and seemingly effortless deadlock with his right elbow, while he effectively hindered Tank with his legs to move even an inch.

The silence in Pino's was loud and nearly deafening. Everyone seemed to be frozen.

After a moment of desperately struggling against the iron bolt that held him down, Tank finally let his resistance go and he met his opponent's eyes. And gulped. He had looked death into the eyes often enough to recognize it instantly. The very, very cold eyes looking icily and deadly at him were definitely those of great danger and death.

"Don't mess with me," his opponent said in a soft, calm voice.

Way too soft and Tank actually had to suppress a shudder. And he had thought he himself could be scary.

"What the fuck, Pat! Let him go!" Steph's voice penetrated through the icy silence.

Pat didn't move an inch.

"Now!"

The stranger sent him a last warning glance before he very slowly let Tank go and stood up to face a livid Steph.

"What kind of a show do you stage here?" she asked, unbelieving and angry as hell.

"We need to talk, Nisha," he just said forcefully though.

Steph snorted. "Oh, that's rich! Seven years and you turn up here, manhandle my friend and then declare you want to talk. Well, Mister, forget it! I'm not talking to you."

"Please, Nisha…"

"Don't Nisha me! You had your chance, buddy."

"For heaven's sake, do you think that this has been my choice?" For the first time since he got here the guy seemed to start lose his cool.

"Don't you dare!" Steph rounded on him. "Don't tell me that you never had a chance to come by in those seven years. Don't try to make me believe that in all this time you couldn't have chanced to come for me! So leave again, Pat." She turned away. "Just leave," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Nisha," Pat whispered, pained.

"That's not enough." Steph shook her head, fighting against her emotions. She needed to get out of here. She could barely hold herself together anymore.

"I know. But there are more urgent things right now. Please, Nisha, you've got to listen to me!" Pat insisted once again.

"Why should I?" she asked tonelessly and wrapped her arms around herself, moving to the door.

That's when all hell broke loose. Gun shots echoed and glass tinkled as the windows broke into a million little pieces. The people inside Pino's dropped to the floor and guns were drawn, the clicking sound of them being unlocked reverberated through the room.

The second the first shot had been fired, Pat had propelled himself at Steph, bringing her down and rolling her to press her body against Pino's counter, his body shielding hers.

After what seemed like an eternity all was quiet again for a moment before the kids started wailing and the few women there were suddenly screaming. The cops and Rangemen cursed forcefully while standing up and inspecting the damage, some of them running outside to try to get a glimpse of the culprits. Others were already phoning the attack in. Shouts were asking if everyone was okay.

Very slowly, Steph opened her eyes and she stared up with wide eyes, right in Pat's wary eyes that were busy to check for more danger coming their way. When he apparently was satisfied that the danger was over for the moment, he got on his feet and pushed his gun back into its holster. He looked a last time around and then bent down to haul Steph up, his hand roaming over her body to check for any injuries.

She let it happen, still too much in shock about what happened. Someone had outshot Pino's. Someone had been crazy enough to outshoot a known cop's place.

Sweet Jesus!

Pat looked around again, then met her eyes, a hard edge in his eyes. "Are you ready to listen to me now?" he asked, grimly.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews and I'm glad that I could make some of you happy with finally finishing this baby. I hope you liked this chapter as well!)_


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

For a long moment Steph stared at him, openmouthed. She was about to say something when she caught sight of something behind Pat and gave a little shriek, hurrying past him.

"Big Dog!"

In a flash she was at the big cop's side. "You're hurt," she exclaimed.

Big Dog winced, but worked up a blush despite the paleness. "Just a scratch, Ms Plum," he assured her, touched by her concern for him.

Steph ignored it and grabbed some of the napkins from the provider. Ignoring his protests, she worked on bandaging his wound the best she could. She was relieved to see that it indeed was just a brace. Still, she knew from experience that it hurt like a bitch. When she was finished, she gave the embarrassed cop a peck on the cheek. "There. That should hold until the ambulance is here."

Deep red by now, Big Dog stared down at the floor. "Yeah… uh… thanks, Ms Plum," he stammered out.

Steph gave him a sweet smile. "Don't worry. And I really think it's time you call me Steph, Big Dog."

Unable to find words, Big Dog just nodded.

Worried, Steph turned away to look around her destroyed favorite diner. Pat came closer and silently touched her on the arm. She didn't jerk away, didn't say anything, just let him comfort her for a moment, even if she knew that that was probably a mistake.

It was so easy to fall to Pat's charms. Especially when he was all concerned about you.

Then she caught sight of Larry though, who desperately tried to calm down his sons. Losing all color, she scrambled over to her best friend's husband and children.

"My God, Larry! Are you all right? The boys…"

Larry looked up, white as a sheet. "Steph. Yeah… we're… we're fine. Just… the boys are in shock I think… I don't know…"

Before she knew what she was doing, she was hugging Larry and the two boys. Larry accepted her embrace thankfully and hugged her closer for a moment, before drawing away again, calmer now. He wrapped his arms around his boys tighter and looked at her.

"I was on the phone with Mare when… she'll be here any second. I think that will sooth them a bit," he said, a bit more composed now.

Steph nodded, relieved to hear the news. Again she looked around. "Jesus…" she whispered, still having trouble to believe that one had actually dared to shoot out Pino's.

Larry just nodded. He knew exactly how she felt. It was simply unbelievable. They had been so lucky nothing worse had happened. He involuntarily tightened his grip on his sons, causing them the give a strangled protest.

Past Steph's, he could see the stranger coming towards them, his eyes fixed on Steph. Larry still wondered who he was. He knew Steph for a long time now and he never had seen her reacting to a man like this. Frankly, he wasn't sure what to make out of what they all had witnessed before all hell had broken loose.

Steph watched Pat coming closer too, but she didn't really want to deal with him right now. Her friends needed her more now. She mumbled an excuse to Larry before she hurried over to the Rangemen. Or rather Tank and Bobby. Lester was no where to be seen. Probably outside, trying to find something to track the crazy bastards. From the dark expression on Tank and Bobby's faces she could tell that whoever had been so suicidal to dare to outshoot Pino's would be in for a lot of pain. And probably a trip to a third world country. Good.

"You ok?" she asked quietly, worried.

They turned to her and nodded. "Yeah. Looks like no one was hurt seriously so far," Tank said shortly.

Steph breathed a sigh of relief. "Who'd be so crazy to pull a stunt like this?"

"I don't know, but we'll sure find out," Bobby answered, darkly.

"And make them pay," Tank added, nonchalantly.

Steph felt a shiver go down her spine. She almost felt sorry for the bastards. Her eyes caught sight of the frightened boys of her best friend. Almost. She had no doubt that the Rangemen would get to them first. And what was left would then go further to the police. It was not hard to guess how they would treat the ones responsible for this outshoot, resulting in several officers and innocent bystanders getting hurt. Not to mention the damage to the police's most favorite hang out.

She felt Pat coming closer and a second later his hand grabbed her arm. "Nisha."

"Not now," Steph told him lowly and she tensed.

But Pat ignored her protest. "We need to get out of here."

Incredulous, Steph turned to him. "What? Are you crazy? I can't leave now!"

Pat looked grim. "Sorry, Nisha, but…"

"These are my friends, Pat! Some of them family. I can't leave them now! Besides, we sure will have to give our statements." Steph's eyes turned outside, where she saw Joe speaking to the newly arrived cops.

She hadn't noticed it so far, but in the short time since it happened cop cars had arrived in front of it, so many that she quickly gave up counting. The place was scrambling with cops now, in uniform or in plain clothes.

"All the more reason to get out of here," Pat though still insisted.

Steph looked at him again, narrowing her eyes. "I won't leave. That's your specialty, not mine."

Pat winced, but his grip on her arm stayed firm. Tank let out a deep growl. No matter what had happened, he didn't like the way this guy treated the Bombshell. Neither did Bobby, who had inched closer to Steph. Pat gave them each a warning and cold stare which had them fighting the urge to back away. Who the hell was this guy?

Apparently satisfied with their reaction, Pat turned back to Steph. "I don't want to go into details here, but I have reasonable cause to believe that this attack was meant for you, Nisha. Or me, through you. That's why I'm here. So please, let's get out of here before they come back and see that their job isn't done yet."

Feeling a stab in her heart at hearing his words, Steph stared wide eyed at Pat. "What…" But then she shook her head. "No, forget it. I don't want to hear it. It doesn't matter. I'll stay right where I am, where I'm needed right now by the people I love. You can't understand that as you apparently have no idea what love is," she concluded, bitterly.

Hurt flashed through his emerald eyes but she didn't care. He had hurt her first and much more than she ever could hurt him.

"That's not true, Nisha, and you should know that better than anyone else," Pat spit out through grinded teeth.

"Do I?" Steph retorted sarcastically.

Tank and Bobby had followed their exchange silently and didn't like it all. It was clear that whoever this guy was, he had quite a past with the Bombshell. As if there weren't already enough guys with a past with her around. Ranger definitely wouldn't like that.

A strangled cry from across the room interrupted put a stop to all conversations and musings. Looking over, they spotted Pino standing behind the counter, staring down with horror written all over his face.

Bobby didn't lose a second and moved. When he was at Pino's side and saw what had disturbed the little man so much he let out a stream of curses. Stacey Traveport laid on the floor, blood pooling beneath her, a big gaping wound in her chest. Apparently she hadn't been fast enough to drop to the floor. Bobby dropped to his feet and felt for a pulse. After a long moment he felt a weak throb against his fingers. Immediately he blindly grabbed for a towel and pressed it on her wound and looked up into the white face of Steph and the grim faces of Tank, Pat and a few others. "Ambulance," he ordered shortly, knowing that this was beyond of his ability to help. All he could do was trying to stop more blood flowing out of her.

"They're just unloading the stretcher," Tank said, nodding outwards.

Bobby nodded and looked down at Stacey. She had been alone behind the counter. In all the haze they all had forgotten about her. Bobby shook his head and mentally chagrined himself. He should have thought of her. He should have checked behind the counter. Damn, he had been trained better, as a medic and as a soldier.

The paramedics appeared with a stretcher and hurried behind the bar. The bystanders silently watched while they worked on her before they secured her on the stretcher and hurried out to the waiting ambulance with her. It rushed away, the sirens ringing loud in the quiet diner.

Still holding the bloody towel, Bobby hadn't moved since he edged away to make room for the paramedics to work. A hand squeezed his shoulder and he looked up. Tank. "Wasn't your fault," he told him, softly.

For a moment, Bobby stared up into his friend's understanding eyes before he looked down again and stood up. With a hesitant last glance at the towel in his hands, he gently put it away and moved away, past Tank. He was stopped by a small hand on his arm. Looking up, he met two confused and worried blue eyes. "Bobby?" Steph whispered, uncertainly.

Giving her a shaky smile, he shook his head and moved outside, passing Ranger at the door, but he ignored his boss and friend other than with a small nod. Ranger stopped and looked after his man, knowing instantly that Bobby wasn't ok. He contemplated to go after him right then, but caught a glance from Tank who gave a slight shake of his head. Trusting his second in command and best friend's judgment, he simply made a mental note to check on his man later and proceeded into Pino's to take stock of the situation.

When the call had come over the scanner he hadn't really believed it for a second there. It was crazy after all. Then Tank's call had come in and he had rushed over here from a business meeting in record time. 17 minutes for a way that usually took 39 minutes. All the way over his heart had pounded loud and fast with adrenalin and worry. Tank had said there hadn't been causalities and that they and Steph were fine. That was enough to let him be in control of his emotions. But when he saw the ambulance hurrying away he had felt an unreasonable fear taking over.

Careful to leave his face emotionless, Ranger let his eyes travel over the glass shards on the floor, the turned tables and chairs, the spilled food and drinks, the few spots of blood. He took in the groups of people huddled together in one corner or the other, horror, shock and rage on their faces. Finally he took his time to take in the condition of his Babe. She was unhurt, gracias Dios, but she clearly was upset. He frowned. There was something… he didn't know what it was, but something in the way she held herself up, the way her eyes were shielded, the way she unconsciously rubbed her arms, told him that something was very wrong. She seemed so… unhappy. So… unbalanced. He never had seen her like this. Usually she was bursting with energy and life, even in her worst hours. Worried, he involuntarily took a step towards her.

That's when he spotted the stranger hovering at her back. His eyes were entirely focused on Steph even though Ranger could tell that he was perfectly aware of his surroundings. What was more surprising though was that Tank was watching the guy warily. Tank didn't do wary. Didn't need to with his size and training. Ranger frowned. Who was this guy? Well, he'd find out. Clearing his face even more carefully, he moved towards them.

Steph had watched Bobby leave and pass Ranger. Seeing him had made her heart stop for a moment. Not exactly something unusual. Ranger made a lot of hearts stop. Either in justified fear of him or in instant arousal. Ricardo Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, was not only her mentor, fellow bounty hunter and the boss of Rangeman, he was the shit. Scary as hell and drop dead gorgeous. What made him even more dangerous. An ex-Ranger, Cuban sex God, the Wizard and secretly rumored to be a superhero was definitely a lethal weapon to her hormones and her panties. He brought her hairs standing up in anticipation and sent her spine tingling whenever he entered her radius and she was awake. Hell, even if she wasn't she could still feel his overwhelming presence coming near her, threatening to scorch her.

This time though, as she watched him taking in the ruins of Pino's and coming closer, she didn't feel this strong a reaction to him. Oh, it was still there, but nothing in comparison to what she was used to feel whenever he came closer. She could feel overwhelmingly the hovering heat of Pat at her back though. Confused, she sighed, wishing she could just go home, take Rex's cage into her bedroom and crawl under her covers, hiding from the world. But no such luck. The nearer Ranger got, the more she felt Pat tensing. Which was pretty interesting after all at last - even though the thought of Ranger and Pat meeting made her nervous as hell.

"Nisha. Come on, let's go," Pat murmured urgently, his hand touching hers.

Steph glared at him. "You're starting to sound like a damaged record, Pat. I'd do something about that." She withdrew her hand and took one step closer to Ranger.

"Yo," she simply said, tiredly.

His eyes took possession of hers and he arched an eyebrow up. "You ok?" he asked softly.

Fighting back the emotions that welled up at his concern, she shook her head and gave him a weak smile. "No. But I'll be."

Ranger held her eyes for a long moment, checking on her, before he smiled. "Show them, tiger."

Involuntarily, Steph laughed and relaxed a bit while she nodded. Ranger flashed her a grin then turned to Tank.

"Eight people hurt, most by shards of glass. Big Dog took a grace in the arm, one civilian another grace on the hip," Tank reported and turned grim. "The girl working the counter got one in the chest. She's alive for now and on the way to the hospital. Santos' outside, gathering what he can."

Acknowledging the report with a nod, Ranger turned his attention to the stranger behind Steph. He had witnessed their short conversation before and was adamant to find out who he was.

But before he could start his investigation, Morelli joined them. The detective looked at Steph. "You ok Cupcake?"

Again, Steph shook her head. "It's ok, Joe."

Joe too held her eyes for a moment, before letting them go. He had seen how this Pat guy had thrown her down, shielding her. And he had seen the brief second of sheer terror in the stranger's eyes as the first shot had been fired. It told Morelli more than anything else that whoever the guy was, he too was right there in the club of men emotionally involved with one Stephanie Plum. Poor guy. But despite the sympathy, Morelli really wasn't pleased to see yet another guy turn up in his Cupcake's life. As if Manoso wasn't bad enough.

Not that this was the moment to muse over his relationship to one curly bounty hunter from hell right now.

"Looks like it were professionals. Drive by, weapons ready and unloading, wearing ski masks. One driver, one behind. Looks like they used an MG 47," Joe informed them. Ranger and his men would find that out anyway. Same counted for Steph. So even if he usually wasn't keen on giving information, he felt they deserved to know. Besides, the Ranger and his whackoes could do a lot more in revenge to what had just happened here and yeah, he actually did hope that they would find the bastards before his buddies did.

Tank gave a low whistle. "Not easy to get this special lady."

"It is, if you have the right connections," the stranger contradicted calmly.

Steph glanced at his impassive face and frowned, remembering Pat's words from before. Did he really know who was behind this attack?

Tank's face had darkened while Ranger sharply looked at him. Joe glared. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

The stranger lifted an eyebrow. "Is this an official statement, Detective? Or personal interest?"

"Pat!" Steph hissed.

Joe slammed down his cop face. "Consider that an official statement. Sir," he added reproachfully.

Ranger followed the conversation with narrowed eyes.

The stranger gave a humorless smile. "In that case: Patrick Brian McParrish."

"What were you doing at Pino's?"

"Having lunch."

"Where do you come from?"

"Chicago."

"Then where's the Irish accent from?"

"Born in Belfast, lived there until I was nine."

"Profession?"

"Photographer."

"Been abroad lately?"

"Sure."

"Why?"

"Business."

"You said Belfast. Any connections with the IRA?"

"No." For the first time the pleasant voice got an edge to it.

Joe narrowed his eyes. "Any contact with other terrorist organizations?"

"No."

"To weapons dealers?"

"No. Are you finished now, Detective?" Pat asked, still very calm but the warning was still loud and clear.

"No. How's your connection to Stephanie Plum?" Joe asked tensely anyway.

The others had followed the question fire with interest and, on Steph's part, growing disbelief. She found her speech back with this last question though and answered before Pat had a chance. "Hardly relevant to this case and none of your business, Morelli."

"I haven't asked you, Cupcake." Joe's eyes never left McParrish's. He waited for an answer.

And he was not the only one. Ranger had his full attention on this guy too. As most of the other people in the room. This question had been on all their minds since this guy first had asked for Stephanie.

Pat showed no sign that he was aware of the attention focused on him. He held Morelli's eyes and didn't say anything for a very long time. Finally he inclined his head slightly to the side. "I've met her in College."

Joe frowned. "She never mentioned you."

For the first time since this interrogation had started, Pat cut his eyes to Steph who was currently working up quite a steam. "I didn't know I was supposed to give you a list of all the people I know," she said through her teeth, glaring at Morelli.

"Don't make a scene, Cupcake," Joe warned, giving her an impatient look.

"A scene? A scene?" Steph repeated, incredulous. "You don't know what a scene is, Morelli. But if you continue to be such a jerk I'll show you gladly."

"I'd be careful, Detective. Her scenes are legendary scary." Pat threw in, amused.

Steph whirled to him. "You stay out of this!"

"Now, Nisha, where's the fun in that?" Pat responded with a sly smile before he threw Morelli a daring stare. "After all, as long as he hasn't seen you in full Rhinomode he can't claim to love you." He shifted his stare over to include Ranger as well, his eyes losing some of the amusement and growing more icy.

"That's my business and has nothing to you!" Steph hissed. "Let me remind you, in case you have forgotten: it's none of your business!"

"No?" Pat drawled and he finally fixed her down with his eyes, searching them for something Steph didn't know what it was. But the longer he held her eyes captured with his emerald ones, the more uncomfortable and confused she felt. Something was going on here and she was pretty sure she wouldn't like it. Besides, Ranger and Joe's proximity troubled her too. Between the three men she felt almost claustrophobic. And she wouldn't even start on the better half of Trenton following this verbal sparring with obvious curiosity and interest. She'd never live this episode down.

Finally, Pat seemed to have gotten to a conclusion. His eyes softened and he shook his head slightly. "No?" he repeated again quietly, before he continued, almost sorrowfully. "I would think that it is indeed my business what kind of a relationship these men have with you," he said, gently. Seeing as she was about to go up like a racket again, he hurried on to impede her. He made sure that she saw that he was deadly serious now before he gently reminded her himself of a little fact. "You are, after all, my wife, Nisha."

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Well, still keeping you on your toes? Not that I'm actually sorry for it, I like to keep you guys hanging. And yep, you've read right. No typo whatsoever... Again thank you all for the wonderful reviews and I hope you liked this one and stay tuned for the next chapter, coming soon.)_


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Stupefied, Steph stared at him, her mouth wide open. She felt her blood leaving her cheeks and she thought briefly that she probably was looking like a vampire who hasn't fed in ages. Remember Tom Cruise as Lestat in Interview With A Vampire? The scene where Louis finds him rotting away in that house? Yep, that's what she looked like right now. Well, Pat sure as hell nearly shocked her to death with this… this… WHAT THE HELL?!

She blinked and felt part of the world sliding back into focus.

'He, he…'

She blinked another time and more of the world slipped into focus. Sadly, as she suddenly could feel holes stared into her by Ranger and Joe.

Another blink. Oh, who was she kidding? She was a Swiss cheese by now by all the holes stared into her by the people around.

And yet another blink later she finally was back in this realm. Not that that was much better. She was still too shocked to find any words. How dare he to tell such lies?! Ugh, she should have castrated him when she had the chance, the smug little…

"You fucking bastard! What the fricking hell do you think you're doing here?! Of all the…"

Pat sighed. "Nisha…"

"… stupidest, meanest, most incredible stunts in your life, and I sure as hell know what they were, this must really be the summit of it all! For…"

"Nisha…" A bit more forceful now.

"… sake, you can't come waltz into my life and…"

"Please, Nisha…"

"… fucking come yell some shit about me being your wife!! What in heaven's name has gotten into you? Isn't it enough that you destroyed my life once? You're out to finish the job now? Hmm!? Jeez, of all the low, disgusting things to do, I'd never thought you'd step so low…"

An angry glint came into Pat's eyes and he pressed his lips together.

"…coming in here and telling such bullshit!!" She stopped to get some air. A pause Pat used to fix her with a glare.

"You finished now?" He asked in this sarcastic way she hated so much. And it was the last straw.

"Finished? Oh buddy, I show you finished!" she said dangerously low, shooting blue lasers at him.

Pat, knowing only too well what it meant when Steph skipped the yelling and went on to iciness, flinched and braced himself. Not that it helped any. Steph was moving a lot faster that he thought she would, which Steph took advantage of. Before he knew what was happening she had moved forward and circled his waist and was stepping back again, his gun in her hand. With narrowed eyes she glared at him.

The bystanders were still too caught up in the whole scene as that they were able to intervene now. Besides, even if they could, few of them would have dared. A pissed off Stephanie Plum was scary enough. A pissed off _armed_ Stephanie Plum was downright terrifying.

Pat stood very still, warily eying her and the gun. Finally, he smiled and took a step toward her. Steph quickly disengaged the security and her finger at the trigger tensed. This stopped Pat and one look into her warning eyes and his smile vanished. Now it was Steph's turn to smile victoriously.

Pat shook his head. "Nisha, please, just let me explain it. I assure you, I didn't come here to piss you off. Or hurt you, for that matter," he said, speaking softly. "Just listen to me."

"Fine, shoot ahead," Steph told him, not moving an inch.

Now Pat raised an eyebrow and looked around, at the many people gathered around Pino's and watching them with bathed breath. "Here?" he asked skeptically when his eyes went back to hers.

'He had a point there', thought Steph and glanced at Ranger and the others, before an iron hand grabbed her arm that held the gun. She yelped a little in surprise and the gun was removed from her hand. Another hand grabbed her other arm and already she was yanked forward to blink into two amused but also annoyed green eyes. "Not bad, Nisha, not bad at all. But if you keep a man at gun point, you should never leave him out of your eyes until you have him ultimately secured and immobilized."

Before Steph had a chance to say anything, his lips crushed hers in a hungry, passionate kiss. And as fast as Pat had her in his grip he released her again, taking a step back.

"I don't want to fight with you, Nisha, just to talk to you," Pat said quietly and seriously. "Are you ready for that now?"

Steph was silent, staring at Pat. His kiss… God, how come he still had so much power over her? After seven years and all the bullshit he had done. And with one kiss he had her hormones running wild, her heart pounding in her ears and undeniable desire warring in her against her good judgment to send him to hell before he hurt her even more that he already had. Was she really so weak?

Involuntarily her eyes glanced over at Joe, who eyed her and Pat with a seething look, and thought of all the times she and Joe had broken up and went back to each other, hurting the other with their opinion of how the other should be or react or live or… The list was long. So long that she had to think a moment about what the reason for the most recent break up was. Ah yeah… the old 'change your job and stay away from Manoso' argument.

Her eyes moved over to Ranger, who at the moment looked with narrowed eyes at Pat, quietly evaluating him and trying to figure out who exactly he was. She thought about all the kisses and groping in the alleys or wherever else. Instantly she felt another bolt of desire run through her. And she thought about all the crap he said to her, about not having relationships for example. Or the morning where he send her back to Morelli, not once thinking about what _she_ wanted. But then, she had let him, hadn't she? Or had she opened her mouth to tell him what exactly she thought about this special suggestion? Or about him, to say such a thing after such an incredible night of lovemaking? And she had done what he had said, hadn't she? But then again, had Ranger perhaps stopped to pursue her with his kisses, looks, actions and this damn tingling of her senses, whenever he came near her?

Yeah, apparently she was so weak. But not anymore. She had it, right now and here. No more being enslaved by her hormones! Morelli either accepted her as she was or he could go his own ways. Ranger could either shit or get off the pot. And Pat… her eyes returned to Pat who never had let her out of his eyes. He was right. They needed to talk. And they couldn't talk here, because she had to say some things to him that couldn't be heard by anyone else. She was at least conscious enough to know that. But once they were alone he would hear what she had to say about what he had done to her, seven years back, and now!

She took a deep breath. "Ok. Let's go."

Pat wasn't the only one surprised by her calm statement. Dozens of unbelieving eyes swiveled to her and quite some jaws jacked down to the floor. 'If they ever came up after Pat's bomb in the first place', Steph thought wryly and turned to the door, avoiding any eye contact. But she didn't come far.

Morelli held her back with a hand on her arm. "Wait a minute. You can't go now! We still need your statement! You're a major witness after all!"

Steph gave him a glare. "Oh please! As if my statement would be anything useful. But sure, here it is: I went to the door, a shot fell, I was thrown to the floor and pressed to the counter by Pat. I haven't seen anything, nor do I have any idea who'd be so crazy to outshoot Pino's. If that's all, Detective, I'll come to the station tomorrow to sign it. And now let me go."

Lately, there had been a vein on Morelli's forefront that started to pulse whenever he was beyond anger with his Cupcake. Guess what. Yep, the vein was pulsing nice and fast now. His grip tightened a bit and Steph couldn't help but wince a bit. "Not so fast, Cupcake. It's not quite that easy."

Her wince hadn't gone unnoticed. Carl and Eddie scowled while the Rangemen gave a low growl and Ranger stepped forward with still narrowed eyes. But Pat's icily voice stopped them all.

"And I suggest you let go of my wife immediately or I see myself forced to not only remove your hold on her myself, but also to press charges against you for assault and undisciplined behavior. Not to forget the official complaints against your department and you, Detective Morelli, especially." Even though the words were spoken cold enough, it was more the clear warning in his tone that had Morelli release Steph very slowly.

Tank felt a shiver go down his spine, remembering the promise of death in those eyes, as this guy had him pinned on the floor. Ranger felt the dangerousness as well and frowned. It felt familiar. Too familiar. What had his Babe to do with such a man? And who, and most importantly what was he exactly?

Steph just looked back at Pat heatedly. "Will you stop with this whole wife crap finally? You have no right to impose yourself here as if you have any say so over me!"

Pat looked at her and sighed. "We clearly see things differently here. But however screwed up as our situation may be, I will not stand by and let some police officer manhandle my wife, which you are. And before you blow up again, why don't we finally move it to a nice, secluded place where you can give me the rest?"

Steph opened her mouth, but then took another deep breath, remembering her new resolution - but it needed all her willpower to not dive head first into another angry fit with Pat. So she just snorted, shook her head exasperatedly and left Pino's.

Sighing, Pat followed her, but made a brief stop besides Morelli. "Just a fair warning here. You ever treat Nisha like this again, and I won't leave it by mere threats. Next time, there will be blood. And believe me, it certainly won't be mine," he warned the cop, not looking at anyone, but just slipping into his black leather coat. When he looked up, his eyes were gleaming perilously. "Of course, this counts for every one who wants to mess with me by mistreating my wife. Now, if you excuse me. Detective, Gentlemen." He nodded with his head and left after Steph, leaving a stupefied crowd behind.

* * *

Steph waited in the parking lot for Pat to finally catch up with her. What took that idiot so long? She looked around. Many people had gathered here. In a corner a bit away from the major action she spotted Lester and Bobby, Lester's hand on Bobby's shoulder, talking quietly to the still defeated looking man. She wasn't sure what bothered Bobby so much, but she hoped Lester could help him over it. Cops were swarming all over the place and gapers had gathered at the barrier. Typical. With a sigh she looked down, briefly allowing herself to think about what her mother had heard by now. Oh, Pat owed it so very much to her alone for that!

Tires screeching had her looking up in time to see Mary Lou jumping out of her car and dashing in full speed through all the barriers. Smiling, Steph waited to see if she still registered on her best friend's radar. She wouldn't mind if not, Mary Lou had her kids and husband in there after all. The more she was touched when the speeding bullet on legs stopped before her, hugging her close.

"Gosh, Steph! Lenny and the boys, are they ok? I was on the phone with Lenny and suddenly all hell broke loose. I think I heard him yelling that he and the boys are ok. Then the phone went dead and I couldn't get through anymore. Please, Steph, tell me they're ok!" Mary Lou rambled, her eyes wide with worry.

Steph put her hands on her shoulders and looked her straight into the eyes. "They're fine, don't worry. The boys are a bit shaken up, but that's all. Lenny's taking great care of them."

"Really? Oh thank God! I was so scared. I need to get to them, but what about you? You alright?" Mary Lou asked, relief clearly showing on her face.

Steph nodded and smiled. "Yeah, don't worry about me. Go on, your family needs you now."

Mary Lou nodded and gave her a quick hug again before racing to the door at Pino's where she bumped right into Pat who was finally coming out. She looked up to apologize and move forward, but she froze when she recognized Pat. "_You!!_" she spat out, not at all pleased.

Pat sighed and nodded. "Mary Lou."

Mary Lou glared at him then looked worriedly back to Steph who avoided her eyes by pretending to watch interestedly how a cop took photos of a print of tires burned into the asphalt. So Mary Lou honed her most reproachful gaze at Pat. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?! Came to give Steph the rest?"

Exasperated, Pat shook his head. "You know that's not true, Mary Lou. I love her."

"Oh please!" She snorted. "If you…"

But she got interrupted by two high voices screaming. "Mommy!!"

At the fearful voices of her sons she forgot everything else and shoved her way past Pat, running to her boys who were running toward her as well and already she had them in her arms, pressing them to her and thanking God to be able to have them in her arms now. She looked up and saw Lenny standing close, a relieved smile on his face. Mary Lou held out her hand and a second later they were one big crying heap of tangled Stankovichs.

Pat watched the happy reunion for a moment before he used the opportunity to escape Mary Lou's further inquisition. He sure liked Nisha's temperamental and loyal best friend. Too bad she couldn't stand his guts. On the other hand, would it be any other way, she wouldn't be the good friend she was. But he sure hoped that Mary Lou would calm down with time, as he intended to stay with his wife this time, he thought adamantly as he joined her.

"Ready?" he asked Steph when he joined her.

"No. But that doesn't matter. Let's just get it over," Steph responded curtly.

"And where are we going to have our talk?" Pat asked, ignoring the curt tone.

"My apartment?" Steph suggested, reluctantly. She didn't want Pat in her home. It would just feel… wrong.

But then, Pat was already shaking his head. "No," he refused her suggestion with vehemence.

Steph frowned. "Why not?" It didn't matter, that she didn't want him there. She didn't like the definite way Pat dismissed her suggestion.

"Too dangerous. Your security is lousy and I'm pretty sure it's bugged," Pat elaborated. "Any other place?"

"What? You were at my apartment? And what do you mean? Bugged? I have no bugs there. I don't have anything of interest to say for someone to bug my home!" Steph exclaimed irritated.

Pat sighed. "Sometimes I really wonder how naïve you can be…"

Steph narrowed her eyes. "Not helping," she said warningly.

"Look, I meant what I said. I don't want to fight. But I want to talk to you. About a lot of things. So why don't you just trust me and lead us to another private place," Pat suggested, sounding a tad bit frustrated. Good.

"Oh for heaven's sake… come on. You can drive after me," Steph said and went to her car, not bothering to check if he followed her indeed. Or had a car to follow her at all. She quickly conferred with one of the cops if it was all right to drive her car away from the crime scene, then got into her car and drove away. Sure enough she saw a silver car idling in behind her.

A good twenty minutes later she stopped and got out, waiting for Pat to join her, which he did a moment later. He looked around, at the quay, and the bank under the big tree and looked back to her.

"You wanted something private. I often come here to be alone and think. I like to watch the Delaware, the ships and boats passing by, the birds floating peacefully until someone turns up with an old piece of bread," Steph said, somehow defensively.

She had hesitated to bring Pat here. This was her place. Well, hers and her father's, as it was him who had shown her this place. But something in her, some primal instinct wanted him to see this place. Even though she had no idea why.

Pat smiled. "It's perfect. Wouldn't have thought there's such a peaceful place in Trenton."

Steph shrugged and headed to her bench and sat down, Pat following her. But he leant himself against the quay fence so he could look at her. Too bad that seeing him leaning there with crossed ankles and crossed arms in front of his chest, his hair slightly waving in the wind, really had her hormones going fast and wild. But she once again reminded herself of her new resolution and leaned back herself, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "So, you want to tell me what's going on now?"

For a moment, Pat was silent. When he finally spoke it was in a neutral voice that told Steph already that she wouldn't like what he had to say. What a surprise…

"The reason why I showed up now is that someone was hacking into our files. Or infiltrating us, we're not sure yet. What we do know is that whoever did it, was very interested in my file." Pat stopped, checking if Steph was following him so far.

"So what? You have no connection to Trenton, why rushing here?" Steph asked frowning.

Amused, Pat shook his head. "Nisha… my connection is you of course."

Not at all agreeing with him here, Steph shook her head vehemently. "When…" Steph's voice died down and she cleared her throat. "After… well you know. Felton assured me that any connection between us will be erased."

Now Pat frowned. "He did?" he asked, surprised.

Steph nodded.

"That's… strange. Why?" he murmured, obviously more to himself than to anyone else.

Oh, she so didn't want to go there. But then, they had to talk it out. So she shook her head, looking at the river behind him, quietly flowing by. "He said something like they believed that they made you talk before… or at least that they had you under some sort of surveillance for far longer than anyone thought possible, blowing your cover to hell. That in order to make sure I'll be safe I had to go under. I told him that I wasn't interested in that. But I did agree to leave immediately and go back home and…" she trailed off, assuming he knew the rest. "So what has this all to do with me then?"

Pat stared at her with wide eyes though. "He _what_? That's just…" Steph looked at him quizzically but he too left it at that. For the moment. He needed to process this new bit of information first. In the meanwhile he continued with what was going on now. "Well, we know who the guy behind all this is. And no, I won't tell you the name. The lesser you know the better. You know the deal," he told her, stopping her before she even had a chance to open her mouth. "But I'll tell you that he's not a nice fellow. He's out to get revenge on me. So far he hadn't had anything against me. But now he found out about you."

"We're long over!" Steph said defensively. "This is ridiculous! Hell, I haven't seen you in seven years! Nor did I expect to ever see you again!"

Pat shrugged. "Doesn't matter Nisha. The file says you're my wife and nothing else. I hoped it would take him some days to find you. We did make precautions to exactly avoid such a scenario, you remember. Like only giving Nisha as your name and no maiden name. Still, he was faster. I barely made it here in time." He felt a faint tremble of fear go through him at the thought.

Steph only gaped at him. This was just… impossible. This couldn't be true. This was bogus! Some weird shit from Pat to wound his way back into her heart. But… as much as she wanted to believe that, she knew it couldn't be true. Pat just wasn't like this. He was too good a guy for that. One of the many reasons she had fallen so hard for him when they first met.

She could remember it like it only had happened yesterday, and not a little over eight years ago. It had been so casual. And yet not. Like it happened to thousand of peoples every day, but the moment their eyes had met she had _known_ it. He had ripped off her side mirror by accident when he had unloaded some balks out of his car parked next to hers. One had gotten stuck a bit and when he gave it a more forceful yank it came loose of course, making him stumble back, the balk right hitting her mirror. Too chagrined about it, Pat had waited for three hours and 20 minutes until her classes had been over and she had come back to her car. She remembered how she had appreciated his yummy looks when she had seen him sitting on the hood of his car, deeply engrossed into his book, 'Ghosts' from Henrik Ibsen. Oh yeah, she had wanted him on first sight. When she had reached her car and saw the ripped off mirror she quickly forgot her Hungarian hormones though and had broken out into a loud, long flow of very imaginative curses.

Pat, ripped out of his reading by one of the best rants he ever had the pleasure to witness, had looked up and the moment he had laid eyes on this young, pissed off curly head he was lost. Fate sometimes had a funny way of working. He had slipped off his hood and bravely took all his courage together to reveal himself as the guilty party here. Stopped in her rant by the hot guy clearing his throat, Steph had immediately turned beet red. This was not how she had wanted to make a first impression on him. Embarrassed, she started to apologize when he stopped her, explaining that she had every right to be angry and revealed himself as the one responsible for the damage.

She'll never forget how his eyes suddenly started to sparkle and he cockily had joked. "Besides, I think I snapped one or two things up to really impress the guys in the locker room next time." She had laughed and stretched out her hand then. "Glad to be of service. I'm Stephanie Plum."

"I'm Patrick McParrish. Pat," Pat had introduced himself. "And I'm really sorry for your mirror. Please accept my sincerest apology and let me give you my adress and number so you can sent me the bill for it."

After they had exchanged addresses and phone numbers, Pat had looked at her. "What would you do if I call you to invite you to dinner?"

Steph had blushed. "Well, I'd ask when and where," she had answered honestly. The beautiful smile Pat had given her at her answer had melted her down into a pool of drool immediately. Hell, even remembering it now she had to fight the urge to check for drool. Back then she had driven home in somewhat of a very pink and red haze. She had barely made it inside her dorm when her phone had rang. Pat sure hadn't wasted any time.

"Nisha?"

"Huh?" Ripped out of her memories she blinked at Pat.

He chuckled. "Lost me here for a moment."

"Oh…" Steph blushed. "Well I… ah, doesn't matter. So you think this guy wants to go through me to get to you. But that's…" she stopped, suddenly registering what exactly he had said. She jumped up immediately and stalked over to Pat to ram her finger into his chest. It probably hurt her more than him, but that was beyond the point. "Wait a minute. The file says _what_?!"

Immediately knowing what she meant, Pat braced himself. He was surprised it had taken her so long to catch on on that. "That you're my wife."

"And how the hell could this happen? We aren't married anymore for heaven's sake! Not for the last seven years! You guys can't update these damn files?" Steph yelled. Really, was it too much asked to change a little word from 'married' to 'divorced', huh? And now she had some psycho after her because of their laziness. Not that a psycho after her was anything special, but that wasn't the point either.

Pat looked at her out of unreadable eyes. "Are we?" he asked, sarcastically.

"The hell we are! What sick game are you playing here?" Steph hissed, not in the mood for any games though.

When Pat narrowed his eyes she just continued to glare at him. After good two minutes of staring each other down, Pat's eyes softened and he shook his head. "Please, Nisha, think about it for a second," he said quietly, staring her into her still angry eyes. "I was declared dead. Never divorced," he elaborated, softly.

Steph opened her mouth but no word came out of it.

'_Oh shiiiiit!'_

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: I'm sure having fun, leaving you hanging like that! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well and once again a big thank you for all the wonderful reviews! And I'm afraid, this time you'll have to wait a bit longer for the next chapter as I usually don't post on weekends. But I'll be back Monday with the next chapter, so don't worry!)_


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Ranger thoughtfully watched how Steph and this strange guy talked shortly with each other and then left, him following her in a silver Peugeot 406. Nice car, though he preferred black. But that was beyond the point. He didn't like this guy following his Babe. He smelled like trouble. Dangerous trouble. Ranger sighed. Then again, when was anything not troublesome where his Babe was involved? It was part of why he was so… interested in her. And at the same time it surely had already cost him at least three of his years. If not more.

But what a life it would have been with her in it.

His eyes narrowed. _Married._ Steph sure wasn't the type to sleep around on her husband. You just had to look at how she had reacted when the Dick had been so unbelievable dense and slept around on her. Not that Ranger minded. It was what brought her into his life ultimately, he was absolutely sure of that. And he was thankful for everything and to everyone who helped her get there. Anyway… Steph wouldn't do that. She had too good a heart than to do such a thing to a man. Hell, he just had to think back at the times when she had thought Morelli had slept around on her. The cop may be thick in other ways, but he wasn't that stupid. Or even the sharp anger she had showed towards Jeanne Ellen a while back. It had amused him to no ends, besides, there was no jealousy if there was no interest in the first place so he had also been quite pleased. Now though, the thought made Ranger sigh again. He knew now that he should have told her then and there that there never had been something between him and Jeannie. She was his cousin for heaven's sake! Well, over some corners around, but still. She was family. But no, he had to go all mysterious…

And it hadn't been just pleasure at her jealousy, to be honest. He had also been pretty fed up with her back then. Her and Morelli. This ridiculous on and off again relationship they had going on. He really had thought, once he had her, his unreasonable behavior towards her would be over. Rubbish. The only thing it had done him was increase the itch, triple his confusion and make him do an even denser thing than anything he had ever pulled in his life. He'd send her back to the cop. Even if he knew what an unfitting match these two were. But he needed her away from him. With a good reason to keep him away from the warmth and safety she presented to him.

Not that it had helped any. Of course he had gone back to her. Started to steal kisses. To see her nearly orgasm with one touch of him, making him have to summon all strength to not come right there with her. She thought he was barely affected by their little displays in that alley. Or wherever else they were. Truth was that he had to race to his apartment to take a long, very cold shower nearly every time.

It sure hadn't been perfect, but it had worked for a while. somehow. Until he had found her sleeping in his bed one day. That was when things had really gotten bad - to the point of unbearable even. To see her shower in exactly the same shower he used to take care of his irrational lust for her, to smell the exact same shower gel on her he used to soap his body in, imagining it would be her delicate white and slender hands was just... Well, it sure didn't help his unexplainable obsession with this woman, who never left his thoughts anymore, be he awake or dreaming. To come home to a place filled with laughter and energy and life where once only quietness and control had ruled didn't help it either. Nor to have someone there to openly speak with about the day he had, to be waiting for him to come home. Worse. He _enjoyed_ coming home to someone…

For the first time ever he thought he really understood Morelli. Why he always let Steph stay at his home, despite what the status of their relationship currently was. And he could understand why the cop, always having been vehemently against the mere idea of marriage, went from loving to be single to wanting nothing more than to marry Steph. Sure, his idea of how Stephanie was supposed to be as his wife of course, but still… Ranger understood that now. Probably even deeper than he was comfortable with. Because contrary to the stupid cop he just wanted his Babe the way she was. He wouldn't change a hair on her. Well, he wouldn't be unpleased if she'd take better care of herself, eat a bit healthier perhaps, bringing herself into better shape, and definitely learn some self defense. It would make him worry less about having to exist without her one day. But he doubted she would do that ever, and he could well live with these things. Die a few years sooner probably, but that wasn't important.

Not as long as he could spend that life with his Babe.

Ranger looked over to Morelli, who was talking with the fed lady. Not that he knew for sure that she was FBI, but he had met enough of their kind to know when he had a fed under his nose. Lately, Morelli and his Babe had been on an off. And it even looked as if it was a definite off. He heard through the grapevine that the two had decided to stay friends and nothing more. Apparently, Morelli had had enough after the Slayer thing, claiming she either changed her job or they'd end things before his stomach or heart stopped working altogether. His Babe had chosen her job, which made him very inappropriately proud of her. Not many people out of the Burg would have chosen this line of work at all, and then would have had the stomach to stay in it, despite the overwhelming pressure from almost everyone to quit it.

At the same time though Ranger had found himself in a pretty big dilemma. His Babe was free now. No one there to keep him away from her and her bed. Nothing but his fears. His uncertainty. His confusion. He even understood Morelli a bit better now. When he got the news that his men had lost her, that the Slayers had her… He once had been held captured by the enemy and undergone heavy torture for four long months, losing two of his men and nearly two more as well as his own life. He hadn't thought anything could be worse than that. The agonizing time from the moment he got the news about Steph's abduction to the moment seeing her standing in the middle of a playground, shaken, but alive, surrounded by bodies and moaning wounded… It had been the one and true hell he never had even been able to imagine in his worst dreams. He prayed he'd never have to go through anything like that again. Too bad he was pretty sure that it would happen again. His Babe just was a magnet for psychos, low-lives and trouble.

But he was at least finally ready to admit that he couldn't live without her in his life. Hell, he even was ready to admit that he loved her. He wasn't ready to lose himself completely though and he still couldn't help but feel that that might just happen with his Babe. It could happen when his Babe would reject him, once she understood what exactly it meant to be part of his life. Worse even, to be the one person closest to him. Ranger was no fool. He knew what his life, his real life was like. A lot darker and more dangerous than Steph could imagine. Ever had allowed her to see. And even if he'd give up his lifestyle, she still would suffer. Because the past never rested. Would never let him go completely.

So he still stayed away. It was the hardest thing in his life, but he knew it was for the best – for both of them. Besides… he hated it to admit it, but he knew she'd always be there, should he change his mind… or would his need for her become more than he was able to bear. At least that was what he had thought. Until today. Until he'd seen her with this guy who claimed to be her husband. Because Ranger believed the guy. There had been an honesty in this guy's eyes that told the truth of his words. That was a problem, because he also believed Steph's indignation at this statement.

One reason why Ranger had sent her back to Morelli was because he knew deep down, should he set his mind into it, he would easily be able to win her over. It was selfish, he knew it. And arrogant. But still, it was the comforting truth. With this guy though…

This Patrick Brian McParrish had something about him that told Ranger instinctively that he was a real threat to his - relationship with his Babe. Somehow he knew that should it be truly right that these two were somehow married, and this Pat guy could convince her to stay married to him once she had cooled down, that then his time with his Babe was over. Not just because Ranger would never go after a married woman. But because there wouldn't be any hope left. If his Babe chose this man, it was forever, he just knew that.

And it scared the hell out of him.

"Ric?"

He looked at Tank, who was watching him worriedly.

"You ok?"

Was he ok? Hardly. He was losing his Babe. To a man who looked as dangerous as he himself was. "What do you know about McParrish?" he asked, briskly.

Tank shrugged. "Not more than anyone else here. He came in here and asked for the Bombshell which of course granted him everyone's entire attention immediately. Then the Bombshell came in, didn't notice him at first until he called her Nisha. She all but froze, turned around, looking like a ghost, staring with wide eyes at him." He stopped, not really wanting to tell his best friend what came next. But he'd hear it anyway, and it was better it came from him he supposed. "The next moment they're all over each other, kissing like it was their last kiss on Earth. Moment after that she rams him her knee into his balls." The two men winced. "Must have hurt like hell, but the guy stood his ground…" Again there was a trace of respect in his voice. "Anyway, the Bombshell starts screaming at him and she looks like the bastard had really hurt her somehow. Asks him why, how he could have done this to her, such things. Demands that he leaves her alone, which the guy won't do…" Now he definitely interrupted his recount of the events taking place before the shoot out, not comfortable about the next part.

Ranger frowned. "And?"

Tank didn't respond immediately Lester, who had come in to give his boss his report and had heard Tank's report, was more than eager to help Tank out though. "Guy brought Tank down in one swift, fast move. He was so fast that even we still aren't sure how exactly he had brought our rock here down onto his back."

Ranger's frown deepened and he looked at Tank, who actually had blushed and was glaring at Lester who just grinned vindictively at him. He looked at Ranger. "Guy just surprised me!" he huffed.

The only response Ranger gave him was a raised eyebrow. Tank didn't do surprised.

"Didn't look like surprised. It looked like he simply won and held you down. Would he have wanted it, you'd be dead," Lester corrected him, quite smug about the whole thing. But hey, it got boring to always see Tank kick people's asses - or theirs. It was good to see him lose a fight for a change, at least as long as it didn't harm anyone.

Tank wasn't happy at all though and suddenly, he saw the cold eyes of the stranger again, promising him certain death and again he involuntarily had to shiver. A fact of course not hidden to his comrades. Lester lost the humor and laid a hand on Tank's shoulder, then spoke to Ranger. "I don't know what he is, but he sure is not some normal guy."

Ranger didn't say anything, just thought about it. He couldn't say he was surprised too much. That Tank had been put down, yes, but then he himself could do it. Did it repeatedly in fact. You just had to have the right training. But said training was pretty rare, especially as Tank sure knew how to counter it, having gone through the same training. They all had. But this guy didn't struck him as military. As something… yes, that definitely. He had felt the same danger coming from him as he felt it from his men and some of his friends from the service. Ranger had no explanation for it. Somehow men like him, dangerous men, recognized each other on some deep level.

"We have a name and a few pointers. Shoot it through the computer, see if he turns up somewhere. If not, and I bet it won't, I'll make a few calls," Ranger said.

Lester frowned. "If he's anything like I think he is that won't help either. You know how it is."

Tank nodded. "The only one at least barely able to tell us who the guy is is probably the Bombshell. And I doubt she's willing to give you information, not even after whatever this guy did to hurt her so much. And not even to you," he added, softly.

Ranger was silent, not bothering to say something. It was the truth after all. His Babe had proofed on more than one occasion how loyal she was to her friends. Hell, even to her FTA's. He himself was one of the best proofs for her loyalty. And though it was inconvenient sometimes, he sure admired her for it. His eyes fell on the Stankovichs, still huddled together, enjoying to be alive and with each other.

His Babe was not the only one around here who knew McParrish though. Ranger had watched the encounter between the guy and Steph's best friend. It sure hadn't looked like Mary Lou was a big fan of McParrish, but she definitely had recognized him. Good. Then she perhaps was more likely to give up information. She may not know everything but at least she knew something.

Determined, he made his way over to the hugging family. "Mrs Stankovich."

Mary Lou looked up and gulped at the intensely gleaming dark eyes entirely focused on her. How could Steph stand this? Here she was, happily in the arms of her husband, their children between them, and still she felt hot flashes racing down to her… yeah well. She gulped again and took a quivering breath. "Yes?"

"You know me," Ranger stated.

Mary Lou nodded, confused. Of course she knew him. Who didn't know Batman?

"You know I'm a friend of Stephanie," Ranger continued, not letting her out of his intense gaze.

Now Mary Lou frowned, the mention of her best friend helping her coming out of the hormone induced stupor. "Yeah," she replied frowning, thinking back to that bastard turning up and probably breaking Stephie's heart again right this minute. Lenny felt his wife tensing and confused, drew her closer, stroking one finger over her hip. It calmed her down a bit, like it always did.

Ranger had seen the frown and the same expression flicker over her face as when she had seen McParrish the first time and guessed it had the same reason again. "You seem to know McParrish," he said, coming straight to the point.

"You bet I do," she hissed, frowning. "Why? What is it to you?" Well, it perhaps wasn't wise to speak to Ranger like that, but Mary Lou figured her status as Steph's best friend gave her some slack.

Ranger wasn't fazed by her abrupt tone though. "I'd like you to tell me what you know about him."

Mary Lou continued to frown and slowly stood up. "I'll be right back," she told Lenny and her sons and moved some steps away to a more concluded area, Ranger and two of his men following her. She stopped and turned around. "Again, I ask you why?"

Feeling that it was a time to be absolutely honest, Ranger told her the truth. "Because she's my friend too. And I think McParrish is hurting her and I don't like seeing my friends hurt."

Raising her eyebrows, Mary Lou put her arms onto her hips and looked at him. "Only friends?"

Caught off guard, Ranger threw a warning glare to the snickering Lester and covertly coughing Tank and shifted a bit before he returned Mary Lou's intense gaze. "McParrish." He avoided an answer and reminded her of the really relevant point here.

Mary Lou's knowing smile didn't settle with him at all. Then it vanished and she sighed, looking outside, frowning. "I don't know what I can tell you."

He didn't like the sound of that. "Everything would be helpful. I don't trust McParrish."

Now Mary Lou looked at him thoughtfully. "Frankly said I don't trust him either. But he would never hurt her physically, Mr Manoso. That much I'm certain of."

"Call me Ranger. That may be, but he still could put her into danger. He hinted this attack could have something to do with Steph. I only want to make sure she's safe." He stopped for a moment, contemplating his words. "Physically and emotionally," he added, not letting her out of his eyes.

When she cringed he knew he had hit a sore point. Not that this made him feel victorious in even the slightest way.

Mary Lou shook her head. "Ok, Ranger. Mary Lou. And I sure won't deny that I think the lousy bastard will hurt her," she said and glared at him for a moment, just because he was a man. Then she sighed. "But this is not my business. Nor is it yours," she reminded him softly.

Ranger was about to protest when she silenced him with one look. "It's not. It's between her and Patrick. And it's not my place to tell you anything about them. Or him. It's solely her decision what she wants to share with whom." She paused and her eyes softened. "I know you care about her. And you aren't the type to stand by and watch someone you care about get hurt. But sometimes it's the only thing you can do. Watch, and be there to pick up the shards." She sighed and her eyes got distant. "Even if it breaks your heart," she whispered.

She was right that Ranger couldn't just accept that, but he found his throat suddenly too tight to say something. Tank must have sensed this, because he asked what Ranger wanted so desperately to know. "McParrish claimed the Bombshell to be his wife," Tank said.

For a moment, Mary Lou stared at him, speechless. Then she shook her head vehemently and her eyes blazed daggers and breathed fire. It sure was a scary sight and Lester and Tank involuntarily took a step back.

"What! That rotten bastard! Who does he think he is? What the fuck does he think he's doing, that asshole! For the love of God, how…" she spluttered out, her rage at McParrish palpable.

But as sudden as her outburst had come, as sudden it stopped again and she paled, her eyes and mouth wide with shock. She even swayed a bit and Ranger stepped forward to frowningly steady her. He really didn't like any of this. It made all his alarm bells ring, loud and shrill. The second he touched her she turned her head to gape up at him, almost pleadingly. When he could offer no comfort she let her head fall down.

"Oh fucking hell……….." she whispered, miserably.

* * *

Black dots swam before Steph's eyes and the blood rushed in her ears.

'No. No. It _can't_ be. Please God, no. Not this. This isn't funny. _Oh God! _What's going to happen _now_?'

"Nisha?" Pat asked worried, his arms slipping around her to support her while his hand rubbed calmingly over her back.

Steph let her head fall onto his shoulder and pressed her eyes shut. This just couldn't be true.

Why was life so unfair to her? What had she done to deserve this?

'Come on, God. I promise to go to serving every Sunday. I promise I go to the confession and praying right now. Just let this be _not_ true,' she silently offered a desperate deal.

But there was no answer.

Pat was embracing her fully now, holding her close and silently rocking her. He always had known when to just be silent and simply be there for her. She had loved that about him, as so many other things. His warmth engulfed her and she could feel his heart beat pounding against hers, reassuring her, calming her, steadying her. His arms were the same heaven for her as they always had been, like those seven years had never happened.

But they _had _happened. She wasn't the same person anymore. Her heart had been ripped out of her and then been ripped apart and thrown into the gutter the horrible moment when they had come to her door to tell her that her husband wouldn't come home ever again, that the love of her life, her rock in the storm, had died. Not that they had needed to say anything. She had known it the moment she had opened the door and met the solemn face of his boss Felton and the desolate, bloodshot eyes of his partner and best friend Kevin. Her heart had stopped at that moment and she had died.

It had been years before the cold stone in her chest had felt the first jolt of life, shocking it back to beat something like life, joy and even happiness into her. It had been when she had felt the first thrill of bounty hunting, back when Connie had handed her Joe's file. And the moment her eyes had met the dark mysterious eyes of her new mentor and heard his rich laugh, even if it had been at her cost, she had suddenly known that she really wanted to live. To enjoy life again at his fullest. When she had walked out of that diner that day, she had been a reborn person.

Sure, she had struggled a few times. And she knew that she hadn't been completely fair to Joe and Ranger. She had wanted to be desired by a man again, had wanted to feel all fibers of her body come alive again with the mother of all orgasms. And for a while, in the beginning with Joe, and the first feverish kisses from Ranger, she had been jubilating with joy and life. But then it started to get complicated. They had wanted more from her. Joe wanted her to root again, to lead a boring life again. Wanted her to be his little burg woman. Of course she had never told him about Pat and the time between his death and her rebirth, so he had no idea why this was simply too much asked from her. Of what exactly it would rip away from her.

And Ranger may have told her he didn't do relationships, that there was no ring coming with his love or even had send her back to Morelli, but his actions had spoken another thing altogether and it had scared her nuts, making her run away as fast as she could.

Oh, not that the both idiots hadn't made many faults as well. But if she wanted to be fair and truthful then she had to admit her faults too.

After all, she had wanted more too. And not. It had confused the hell out of her and she doubted she had ever been so confused in her life. The longer this strange triangle went on, the more she felt her heart open up again to the possibility of love. And she didn't want that. She simply didn't want to ever have to go through something like Pat's death again. Didn't dare to. She had barely survived Pat's loss and was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to survive another one. and with the jobs of those two, especially though Ranger's, that was just too much of a very likely possibility. So she had backed away, from both of them, running from one to the other and back again whenever the ground grew too hot for her cold feet.

'Chicken,' she thought darkly.

But after the Slayer incident… she nearly had died for real then. Had gone to join Pat again. It had shaken her. So she had taken an out time to think really hard about her life for the first time since before Pat's death. And she realized that she did indeed want to live for a long while longer. And not alone. But she also realized that she wasn't ready to trust neither a cop, nor Batman with her heart. Not after what she had gone through with Pat. So she had backed away from both of them, trying to get both of them back on a friendship with benefits track, because she also had learnt that she wanted and needed them both in her life. Joe hadn't wanted that, hadn't understood what she needed then, too blind for anything than his wounded pride and the things he wanted to see behind her decision. Or rather whom. So Steph had called it quits with him once and for all. She really hoped she and Joe would find back their way to friendship, because he was and would always be a part of her and a good man she was proud to call her friend.

Ranger… they never made it to have a relationship together and even though she had backed a bit there too, not much had changed between them. He simply accepted what she gave him and what not and continued to go his own way. Their friendship had deepened though and he had let her into more part of his life than ever before. They still worked on cases together sometimes, she still called him for help whenever she was ready to admit that she needed help and he continued to book her for distractions jobs and surveillances. He continued to be there for her whenever she needed him or not – at least when she thought she didn't need his help and protection. Sometimes they would spent an evening together, or have lunch, sometimes alone, sometimes with some of his Merry Men joining them. He still stole kisses from her whenever he could, she still combusted nearly every time she got the full impact of his gorgeous looks and they both sure loved to flirt with each other.

But he never had come back into her bed. Nor had she invited him back into her bed for that case, even though she sometimes had been short before it and locking themselves in for a few days. A woman can only go so long without sex… Most importantly though there was no pressure on her.

Perhaps the reason why she lately grew aware that she was getting to the point where she was ready to take on the next level. Her life had finally been good again, something she could be happy with.

And then Pat showed up, breathing, alive and the same gorgeous man he always had been, turning her life upside down again.

Why had he never come for her? Hadn't he known how miserable she had been without him? Why had he let her believe that he was dead? Didn't he know how much that had hurt? How much she'd had given to only be able to hold him again, to kiss him, to hear his wonderful laugh, to see his sparkling eyes, to hear him crying his special nickname for her when he came deep inside her? Had he no idea how much she needed him?

But when she finally had found a way to live without him, then suddenly he showed up. Not because he wanted to, but because he thought she was in danger. Yet, what confused the heck out of her was that each look, each spoken word, each gesture of him and each vibe from him showed her his deep love for her.

How could that be?

And if that wasn't bad enough, now he had dropped this bomb on her. But it couldn't be. Just couldn't. Because if it was real, then she knew nothing would be as it had been.

"It's true, isn't it? It's really true."

Pat had continued to hold her the entire time she had mused over her life and simply nodded now.

"You are alive and we're still married."

"Looks like," Pat said quietly.

"I need to sit," Steph whispered, faintly.

Gazing at her concerned Pat led her back to the bench and settled her down, before he went into a crouch before her to watch her closely, his hands firmly holding hers.

Steph took a few deep gulps and only barely registered his thumbs doing slow, calming circles on the back of her hand. Finally she looked him into his eyes, for the first time completely focused on him and the here and now since he had shown up.

"Why? Why did you do this to me?" Steph asked, needing to get that answer more than anything else.

Pat sighed, chagrined. "Nisha I…" His voice trailed of.

"Didn't you know how much I needed you? Didn't you know how devastating your death was for me? How excruciating my pain was?" she whispered in a small voice. "Don't you understand? I _died_ without you!"

Torment showed on Pat's face and the hold on her hands tightened to almost be hurting. His green eyes darkened with pain. "No. Believe me, Nisha… I didn't know. When… it wasn't over a year before I made it back. I… went home, but it was a ruin and you gone. Felton told me… that you had remarried, that you were happy. And that coming back to you would only cause you unnecessary pain and destroy your life. Probably putting it in danger as well." He stopped for a moment, his eyes begging for forgiveness he inched closer, his hands letting hers go so he could move them to hold her small waist. "I should have come anyway I know… but… I didn't want to see you with another man, Orr especially. I couldn't bear to see you in _his_ arms, kissing _him_, being _his_ wife, having his children. And I was wounded in my pride, yeah, that too. Felton told me that you married the Dick barely two months after my supposed death."

He swallowed and shook his head, searching her eyes for some sort of understanding. "How do you think a man feels when he learns that his wife, that claimed to have loved him, had married another man, one that clearly wasn't ever worthy her breath, only two months after he was out of the picture?" he asked, softly, but also with a trace of bitterness in his voice. Then he shook his head. "But I should have come check on you anyway. I'm sorry I didn't. I just asked Felton to have an eye on you, telling me if something happened to you."

He let his head fall down while Steph just stared at him. Thoughts were whirling wildly around in her head and she desperately tried to grasp what Pat was saying and what it all meant. There was so much… _wrong_.

Pat looked up into her eyes again, in his eyes a shimmer of anger. "He never told me you've gotten divorced though. I only found that out when they warned me about my breached file. It's… I don't understand that, Nisha. He should have. And I would have come sooner. You've got to believe that, Nisha. The only thing keeping me from coming for you was because I thought you were happy and leading a better life with Orr than I could have ever given you." His eyes turned to a sparkling darkness when naked love and raw need filled them, making Steph's throat thick with her instinctive need to respond to her man's anguish.

Slowly he lifted his hand to lay it against her cheek. "Oh, Nisha, please. Don't think I ever stopped loving you. The thought of you and my memories of our life were the only thing giving me the will and strength to survive those fifteen months I was in hell. All I wanted was to get home to you, ghràdhaich."

His soft voice swept over Steph and she felt how his melodious timber pulled her to him. Damn. She could never resist if he went all Irish on her and she felt her cheek turning more into his hand, while her eyes were captured by his.

"I was miserable those years too, Nisha. Not complete without you. Never happy." His voice quivered a little and sadness tinted his words when he continued just above a whisper. "You are my first thought in the morning and my last thought in the night. You haunt my dreams. You are my strength and my light, wherever you are, with me or not."

"Oh, Patrick…" Steph sobbed, tears having started raining down her cheeks. It just was too much all of a sudden and to hear his voice repeating the words he had told her in front of the judge who had wedded them, his vows, words she had thought she'd never hear in her life again. she just couldn't help but cry.

Pat cradled her face in both of his hand now and gently wiped away the tears. "Don't cry, Nisha, please. You know I can't bear it. I'm so sorry. If I'd have known how you were all this time… God. I was an idiot. Putting both of us, but especially you through so much pain. You must believe me that I'd never had hurt you in such a way, mo ghràdhaich. Taim i'ngra leat, Nisha."

"I know Patrick. It's just…" Steph's voiced trailed off and she put one of her hands to his cheek too. "I'm glad to have heard the truth. And I believe you, please believe me that. But… I can't… not right now… not after…" She gave up and sighed. "We need time, Pat."

He nodded and sighed. "I know. I understand." Then he tenderly kissed her on her forefront, before he drew her into his arms to hug her silently again.

Steph let him, needing his comfort right now more than anything else. "What are we going to do now?"

* * *

_Mo ghràdhaich: my love (gaelic) – Taim i'ngra leat: I love you (Irish)_

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: I hope you still like it. And there, here you had at least some very tiny answers. More will come, I promise. And hey, this time it's even not that much of a cliffhanger, isn't it? Which is good, because I'm not sure when I can post the next part. I broke one of my fingers and even only rereading and correcting the chapters before I post them is a pain in the ass as I just had to find out. So it may be a few days before I come back. But I'll be back for sure, that I can guarantee you!)_


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sighing, Pat let Steph go and turned away. Confused, Steph stared at his back before she slowly leaned forward and laid a hand on his arm. "Pat?"

She could feel the tension radiating from him and he sure took his time to answer. Finally, he faced her again with determined eyes. "I won't lie, Nisha. I want you back."

Totally caught by surprise, Steph gaped at him. Ok, perhaps it wasn't so unexpected, but still – to hear it in such clarity with such vehemence… It was a shock.

Pat sensed that and he took her hands into his again. "I mean it. I don't care what happened, I don't care what we both lost and had to go through. You're my wife, Nisha, and I love you. I need you. I want my life back and that life's center is you. You alone, mo ghràdhaich."

"You think it's that easy?" Steph asked, incredulous. After everything that had happened, how could he believe it would just be as simple as that for Heaven's sake?

Pat shrugged. "No. No, probably not. It will take time, I know. I won't pressure you. But I want an open book here, Nisha. And I want to show you how much exactly I love you and want you back. I plan to woe you off your feet, Nisha, just so you've been warned." A very male grin lifted the corner of his mouth. "I figure I managed it once, I will win you again."

"Just like that?" Steph asked, trying to rein in her temper.

Her husband just nodded.

Steph frowned. "Despite the fact that I believed you dead? That I moved on, even married another man? May now even be in another relationship?"

Pat's eyes darkened and he scowled. "Are you?" he asked, dangerously low.

The image of Ranger conjured up and Steph hesitated with her answer – whatever it would have been. There was a bond between her and her mentor and friend. But Ranger didn't do relationships. Well, at least Joe was safely out of the picture now. So finally she just shook her head. "No."

"Good. And as for the marriage…" Pat stopped, biting his lip and the scowl on his face deepened. "First: No. It doesn't matter. It's in the past and you were divorced within a year from him, right?"

Steph nodded. The ink on their marriage certificate wasn't even dry when she had caught the sleazy bastard fucking the lights out of her arch enemy Joyce Barnhart. On _their_ dining room table. God, even thinking about it made her all angry again. At Dickie, at Joyce, but mostly at herself, for having been so stupid to ever agree to Dickie's proposal in the first place. Of all the mistakes she had made in her life, that one was for sure the unquestioned king of the list.

"But…" Pat continued and searched her eyes. "I have to admit that I _would_ like to hear how it comes that you married the dick so shortly after my supposed death. It had only been two months!" he said, not quite accusing her yet but she could clearly see his Irish temper coming through.

Often a thing that turned her on, especially if it wasn't directed against her, she had to admit that. There just was something with attractive men, an Irish accent and storm brewing in their eyes that spoke to a very feral side of her that somehow was wired directly with her libido. But this time… she sighed. She couldn't blame Pat. In his place she would probably want an explanation for such a thing herself as well. And ever since she had grasped the reality of him being back she had feared it would come to this conversation and had tried to think about how to explain it to her husband. Well, she guessed she just had to jump into it head first.

"You need to understand something here, Pat," she began, biting her lip. "After your - death… Well, I've been – devastated." She stopped, searching for words to explain the lifeless person she had become back then. "I was a shell. Nothing fazed me anymore and I didn't care for anything but my memories of you and our life – and how I could ever live without you." Her voice trailed off and she gulped. "Sometimes I even thought about how I could join you in the fastest way," she confessed in a whisper. She hadn't been really suicidal but none the less, the thought had occurred to her in those dark times.

Pat's hold on her hands tightened, his face stricken. "Nisha, you don't have to…"

"No," she interrupted his protest though. "No, Pat, we have to go through this sometime anyway and I want it to be over with." Again she tried to find the words to continue. "They talked to me or asked me things and I would nod, occasionally perhaps shake my head, but in reality I didn't register one word they said. I don't know until today how I managed to grasp what Felton said to me about what I had to do. I barely ate and I couldn't sleep anymore. Oh, at first I would always dream about you, and it was wonderful, but then something would happen and I lost you even there in my dreams again and again. So to say I was a mess would be a pretty big understatement."

"I'm sorry, Nisha. Perhaps you really should rest it now. I don't need to hear the rest, really, Nisha," Pat said, concerned.

But Steph was determined now. She just wanted to have it behind her. "No, you need to hear it. Well, Dickie was there in that time, you know? He was the only one actually. And he had been a hel,p Pat. He may be a bastard, but he really was a help then. I couldn't talk to my family or Mary Lou. They didn't know about you and Mary Lou was just back from her honeymoons and already pregnant. I just… they couldn't understand, you know?"sShe asked quietly. "Couldn't understand how… dead I was. So Dickie was there. He looked after all the things that had to be done, he forced me to eat and he slipped me sleeping pills so I would fall into a dreamless sleep." She sighed and shook her head. "Not that I would have fought him. There was no fight left in me, no spire, no fire. A part of me was just thankful that he was there and taking care of everything."

She stopped, looking away into the distance. "Today I know that this was probably the biggest mistake. I should have taken care of myself and what ever I had to do after your death and perhaps it would have helped me to find back to myself. And I know now also that this had only been a way for Dickie to control me, something he always had wanted. But…" She looked back at Pat. "I know I repeat myself, but a big part of me truly had died on the day Felton and Kev brought me the news."

"No need to apologize, mo gradhàich." Pat consoled her, his thumbs making circles on the back of her hand again. "So if I understand correctly Orr just misused the situation and convinced you to marry him? That's low, really low, even for him."

Yeah, Pat never had liked Dickie and even less the way Dickie had chased after her and had flirted with her. Not that Pat would ever have been feeling intimidated by Dickie. He just couldn't stand him and disliked him the more Dickie tried to make contact with Steph. So his anger wasn't surprising for Steph now. But still, even how much she despised her ex now, she needed to give him some slack.

"It hadn't been quite that easy. First, Felton told me that to my protection I should go into that witness protection program you have, but I didn't want that. I wanted home, far far away from the place we two had shared a life in. And I wanted to be with my friends and family. So I refused. It was then that Dickie made the first proposal, claiming that if I married him no one should find out about us. Still I refused. It just felt too much like betrayal to you."

When Steph fell silent for quite some time Pat frowned. "So what happened then to convince you to accept the proposal?"

Now came the hard part. "It hadn't been easy you know. But when I found out about the baby…"

Pat jerked up and stared at her with wide eyes. "_What_?! What baby?"

Pain appeared on Steph's face and she stared at him, all color leaving her. "You… you don't know? Felton and Kev didn't tell you?"

When Pat continued to stare shocked at her she griped his hands for a turn. "Oh, Pat, I'm so sorry. I thought you knew."

He shook his head slowly, never leaving her out of his dazed eyes. "So you… we… a baby?" he asked, perplexed and still pretty shocked.

God, this was hard! She really had thought he had known about the baby. So she nodded. "Yeah… I found out I was pregnant." A sad smile appeared. "Must have been that incredible night at the waterfalls just before you had to leave. Remember?"

Still deeply disturbed by the news, Pat nodded. "Of course. How could I have forgotten about that. Sometimes that night was the only thing that kept me alive."

Steph knew him well enough to hear just how bad that time after his death must have been in his words and the shaded eyes and part of her wanted him to tell her about it, so she could try to - make it better. But now was hardly the time for that and telling him about their baby would be hard enough without having to deal with the horrors of his memories on top of that. So she ignored the impulse and settled for just telling him about their child. "Well yeah. You said back then it had been magic. It really had been. And we made a baby, Pat." She gulped. "Oh, the first signs started just before I got the news. Then I got them and I forgot all about it. Or rather I probably just didn't want to acknowledge the symptoms. No one suspected something you know? Everyone believed that I just had a nightmare again when I was sick or still having a hard time dealing with your death – if they caught me throwing up, that is. But then I collapsed out of exhaustion and they brought me to the hospital. There it came out quickly of course."

Pat was silent, and she was sure he had a ton of question but he held them back and waited for her to continue.

"In the hospital I first was completely helpless. I didn't know what to do. There was this baby and I hated it because it was a constant reminder of your death and how you'd never be able to see it being born and grow up – and on the other hand I loved it because it was a part of us both and the last thing I had of you. Then one night a nurse talked to me. She said she heard about my husband and that she was sorry, but I had a life to be responsible for now and I had to pull myself together, if not for me, then for our baby." She stopped once again, smiling sadly at the memory. "And you know, after I thought a bit about it I had to agree. But there were two problems: I hardly had any money, no job or degree to get a job… and honestly I wasn't up yet to stand on my feet again. Plus the threat coming my way, at least according to Felton. I didn't care much about me, but I couldn't put our baby into such a danger."

Pat shook his head. "I wish…" But his voice trailed off and he wasn't able to continue.

Steph squeezed his hands reassuringly. "I know, Pat, I know." After a moment she picked up her story. "Right in that time Dickie came again to propose to me. He said he'd take care of me and the baby and love it as if it was his own. That he loved me and that he understood I wasn't ready for another marriage yet. But there was the baby now and that to marry him would be the best solution. That he'd wait for my heart to be ready to love someone else again."

Pat jumped up and started to pace angrily. "That bastard!" he hissed.

"Pat…" Steph tried to make him understand but Pat shook his head and stopped before her, still seething though. "No, Nisha! An opportunistic little bastard, that's what he is. To take advantage of a woman in your position…"

"Dickie just tried to help, Pat." Steph got up and moved to stand directly before a very furious Pat. "I acknowledge that in hindsight it wasn't the best thing to do, but he really tried to help. In the only way he knew."

He snorted. enraged. "Please, Nisha! There would have been tons of other ways! He just wanted you! He always did! And nothing stopped him anymore as soon as I was out of the picture," Pat snapped.

"Look, you said it was the past, ok? I did make mistakes too back then, you know? But he offered me an easy way out and after a while it seemed a pretty logic thing to do. I was able to go home to my family and friends, give our child a family and home and all that without having to explain how I come to be pregnant and, in the eyes of my mother, committing the sin to be unmarried. I didn't have to run for the rest of my life and live in fear, someone would provide all the money the child would need while I'd have the time to give our baby all my attention," Steph reasoned, trying to calm down Pat and make her point.

He sighed and looked at her. She could see how he wanted to say more, but bate it all back. Tense, he led her back to the bench and motioned her to sit down. "Ok Nisha. What then? What happened with the baby?"

Sharp pain hit her chest, but Steph took a deep breath and met Pat's eyes. "We got married, but had to stay for two more months in Princeton to finish our courses. Or rather for Dickie to finish his studies as I stopped going to my classes after your death. We went home to get married, but I didn't want to tell them about the baby yet. Wanted to buy some time you know?"

Pat nodded. He always had been amused by her horror from her mother's reaction and often had teased her about it and the memory of those times made Steph smile.

But her smile died when she thought back to that time. "A few days before we were moving back though I suddenly got cramps. At first they weren't so bad, but after a few moments they got really heavy. I called Dickie and he brought me back to the hospital. But it was already too late by then." Her voice failed and she looked down. It had been a long time since she had last dealt with the loss of her baby.

"I miscarried, Pat," she quietly said. "I'm sorry. So sorry."

With misty eyes Pat drew her quickly into a tight embrace. "Oh no, Nisha. Don't be. It wasn't your fault. Just not… just not the time yet for our baby," he consoled her hoarsely, but heartbroken himself.

They had a _baby_. A child of their own and then it had died, never even getting a chance at life. This was just...

To hear Pat's absolution, after all this time, made Steph throw her arms around him and she sobbed into his chest, the damn she had courageously held together finally broken. The worst thing had been that she had thought Pat would hate her for losing the only thing that had remained of their life, their baby. She knew in her head that it hadn't been her fault. The doctors had assured her of that, even despite her deep depression in that time. It just had… happened. Like it did sometimes. But that hadn't help her much to overcome her terrible loss back then. In her heart she couldn't help but feel responsible. Sure, it had taken its time to get used to the idea of having the baby, but after she had gotten over the shock and she had felt it grow and even starting to move around in her… She had loved that baby and to lose it… Steph pressed herself more into the warmth of Pat.

When she looked up she could see the tears in the green eyes as well and her heart went out for Pat. She had seven years to accept the death of their baby after all. But Pat had just learned that he had been a father to only have to learn a moment later that his child had died long ago. She cupped his face with her hands and leaned her forehead against his. "I just had gotten into the 24th week." She swallowed. "I'm really sorry you had to learn it like that, Pat. You shouldn't have. But I really thought they'd have told you."

He shook his head, pressing her as close at it was humanly possible without being joined by making love. "I don't know why… perhaps they wanted to spare me… God!" Pat stopped, desolated. Steph was quiet and gave him as much time as he needed.

She had no idea how much time had went when he finally leaned back to search her eyes. "The baby… what…"

Understanding immediately, Steph gave him a sad smile. "A beautiful little daughter, Pat. I called her Brianna. Brianna Patricia McParrish. Born and died on June 3rd, 1994."

His eyes glazed over with emotions and he nodded shortly before he drew her back to his chest. Steph led him and gave him all the comfort she could, drawing much out of Pat's strength and nearness herself. It never had been hard to name their daughter. Sure, she and Pat had never talked about any names, but from the moment she had learned the sex of the baby at her first ultrasound she had known it. Brianna, a strong Irish name and the name of the girl's grandmother, who had died in one of the constant riots in Belfast when Pat only had been six years old. Patricia after the father her little girl would never have a chance to meet and McParrish because despite everything she couldn't bring herself to deny their child their name.

"Did you bury her?" Pat asked after a long time, his voice thick with emotions.

Steph shook her head. "No. I had her cremated and then let her ashes free at the waterfall she had been created. I wanted her to be with her daddy. She's mentioned on your gravestone though and I had the urn along with what was left of her ashes in it also buried in your grave." She frowned. "You've never been there?"

Pat shook his head. "No. No, it just felt a bit too - morbid to me. Besides, Felton liked that I was dead to the official world and always claimed it was too dangerous for my cover so to speak to risk going to my grave. That someonce could see and identify me after all. I always thought it a bit a big stretch, but I left it alone as I hadn't the need to see my own gravestone anyway. That's just wrong," he said, making a face. Then his eyes caught hers once again and he swallowed. "Nisha - Thank you. For our daughter's beautiful name. It means a lot to me," he croaked

Steph simply nodded and tightened her arms around him and for a long while they just stood their in each other's arms, comforting the other of the loss of their child.

It was Pat who eventually picked up the conversation again. "And then? What happened then?"

Steph shrugged. "We went home after all. Brianna's death threw me back into my misery again. Worse than before. To lose her was like to lose you all over again and worse. So I was pretty impassive and cold. For a long while. With time Dickie lost his patience with me. You need to know that I never let him… well, we never… you know. I just couldn't." She stopped, not sure if she should tell Pat the next part. He'd be furious again, she just knew it.

Of course Pat already had sensed something. Damn his Irish instinct! "What?" he asked sharply.

Steph sighed. "Nothing. It was nothing, Pat. After a few months, the time came where I finally gave in into Dickie's seduction attempts. I didn't really care about anything after all so why not?" She shrugged. "So we had sex. But you probably can imagine that it hadn't been – good. Not with me doing absolutely nothing, being barely more alive than a body." She looked away, not liking to remember that time. It had been awful and rough and sometimes now she even thought it had been more of a… oh it didn't matter anymore. "Anyway. Dickie never tried to have sex with me ever again. Instead he started to roam around. I knew it, but didn't care. It was his right after all, right? I couldn't give him what he needed and a man has needs… at least so I thought. Then though he brought my archenemy into _my_ house and did it with her on _my_ dining room table, knowing very well that I was to come home from work soon. I guess it was his way to force me to leave him, free him, taking the role as the bad one because I sure as hell wouldn't get caught with another man."

Pat was silent, but the way his jaw clenched and his eyes shot off daggers she could tell he was seething again. Surprisingly though he reigned in his fury and just nodded for her to continue.

"Somehow… it irked my anger, you know? Sure, I had been a shell so far, but being affronted in such a manner… I mean, we _were_ married, had said our vows and even if I didn't love him, it meant something. And with _Joyce_ of all people…" Even now the memory disgusted her and made Steph angry again. "So I gave him what he wanted. I threw a tantrum and moved all my things out and went to my parents, filing for the divorce on the same day. He bucked and you can be sure that I gave him hell. I think our divorce still counts as the loudest and worst in Trenton history. And that after I didn't even want any money from him." She smiled ruefully. "In hindsight I guess I took a lot of my anger about your and Brianna's death out on him, a delayed reaction or so, but still - he sure got what he deserved.

"I always knew that he was a bastard not worthy the air he breathed, but I'd never thought he was so low and dirty," Pat hissed, a lot more outraged than she ever really had been.

"Look, I'm for sure not Richard Orr's biggest fan. But one thing I have to give him credit for: he never mentioned you, your death, Brianna or even the fact that in all the time we had been married we only consumed our marriage once. And he never tried to blackmail me for anything," Steph defended her ex-husband and no, it didn't sit well with her at all. It was the dick after all. But it was the truth nontheless.

"He's probably still waiting for the perfect opportunity," Pat growled mistrustfully though.

Steph shook her head. "Patrick! Leave him be!"

He threw her a dark look. "We'll see about that."

"It's been a long time Pat. Just let it rest." Seeing that her words did nothing to convince Patrick she tried another tactic. "Then concentrate on the here and now: Just think about Dickie's face when he learns that our marriage never had been legal with me married to you all the time. You won, again."

Dickie had hated Pat. She had dated Dickie for a while before she had met Pat, but the second she had laid eyes on Pat Dickie had been forgotten. She married Pat within six weeks and never had looked back. Dickie had tried to stay at least friends with her, and Steph had let him. Then Pat had died and Dickie had turned from the sometimes a bit unnerving admirer to an understanding helper in dire need. She had respected him then for it and still did. Sometimes. But he sure had never liked Pat or the fact that he had gotten her in the end.

A very gloating grin appeared on Pat's face. "Yeah, that face has to be something else, huh?"

Steph laughed and nodded. "Yeah. That's the spirit."

He laughed with her for a moment before he sighed. "It's getting cold. We should probably move it someplace else."

"We're done talking?" Steph asked surprised.

"No, Nisha. There's still a lot to tell each other I think. But I also think that we both had heard and said enough for the moment and could need a break. Don't you too?" Pat asked, reclaiming her hand.

With a sigh, Steph nodded. She sure felt spent after having to tell her supposedly dead husband about the time after his death and their daughter.

"You need food," Pat said decisively.

Steph looked up. "Do I?"

"Yep. That beast in you where every normal people have a stomach sure must be ravaging with hunger by now, after all this action and spent strength by talking with me," Pat smiled.

Right on cue her stomach gave a very loud growl and Pat laughed out loud in his rich melodious laugh Steph loved so much. "I rest my case," he said, his eyes sparkling and he made a mockingly bow.

She gave him a half hearted glare before looking at her watch. "It's dinner time soon anyway. I've been ordered earlier to attend today's dinner at my parents." She sighed. "After what happened at Pino's I can't get out now or it will just get worse." She made a face and Pat shook his head, smiling.

Steph hesitated and looked at Pat, deeply lost in thought. Pat raised an eyebrow at her contemplating gaze, but waited otherwise for whatever she was about to decide. Finally she took a deep breath. "Wanna come along?"

Turning serious immediately, he looked at her surprised. "To your parents?"

She nodded.

"You sure?" he asked, uncertainly.

"Honestly? No," Steph confessed. "But it's not like they've never seen you. And by now Mom will have heard that an old friend of mine has turned up, as well as that this man had claimed to be my husband. You coming along would explain the first part. And then we can move on to explain our situation."

As Pat still looked uncertain, she tried another approach. "Besides, you'd have followed me anyway and sat the whole time in front of their house, right?"

Not being able to deny the truth, Pat shrugged. "Not right in front of the house. But yeah…"

"See. Wouldn't it better to play bodyguard if you come inside and keep me in your eyes?" Steph asked.

"Yeah, sure, but…"

"You're not afraid of my parents, aren't you?" Steph asked with sudden gleaming eyes.

Pat shifted uncomfortable. "Well… your Dad sure can be scary," he admitted grudgingly.

Steph laughed and shook her head. Right after their marriage Steph had brought Pat home to introduce him to her parents. Only as a friend of course. Her plan was it to bring him home a few times, first as a friend, then sometimes as a boyfriend, and after enough time had passed she had planned to bring him home as her fiancée and then have a second ceremony, perhaps a year after their actual marriage. They had only made it to the boyfriend part before Pat had died, which she never had told them either. Just that they had broken up and that she had gone back to Dickie. Of course Pat had to stay in one of the hotels during these visits and she had gone crazy with need back then. In the first night at the first visit she had waited long enough for her parents to go to bed to sneak out of her window and go join her husband, being it the first night since their marriage that they hadn't been able to spend together. Only to run right into the arms of her father who had sent her straight back into her room. She hadn't dared to escape again after that encounter. At least not at this weekend. Back home in Princeton, Pat had confessed her then that he too had tried to get to her – and also had met her father instead. Ever since then he had a deep respect for her father. And great caution.

"Aww, come on? A big bad savior of the world is intimidated by his father in law?" she teased him. She just couldn't help it.

His eyes darkening, he stepped close to her. "Nothing in the world is as scary for a man like his father in law, Nisha," he told her lowly.

She laughed and shook her head at the stupidity of men. But Pat leaned even closer. "Well, there perhaps _is_ something scarier," he admitted.

"Oh? And what would that be?" Steph asked, raising both eyebrows as she still hadn't managed the art of raising only one.

"Your Grandma Mazur," he said and quickly moved out of her reach, laughing. But he sure wasn't kidding. That old bat _was_ scary.

Rolling her eyes, she glared at him. "Fine, buddy. You just got yourself the seat right beside her."

A mask of sheer horror wiped off the grin and he shook his head in near panic. "No! No, please, Nisha, baby, you can't do that to me!"

Not that she was so easily pacified. "See and learn, buddy."

Desperately and definitely acting a bit up, Pat fell down onto his knees before her, claiming her hands. "Nisha, light of my heart, love of my life, soulmate, I beg you on my knees to protect me from the groping hands of your grandmother. I swear on the earth of my beloved Ireland that I will do whatever you want me to do. Just save me from Edna Mazur!"

"Anything?" she asked, a smile playing around her mouth. Pat had his goofy side and God, she had loved him for that as much as for his Irish accent, his deep emotions and the love in his eyes every time he looked at her. And damn it, she had missed it all, so much.

Pat gulped, but nodded. Dread spread out over his face when she nodded, smiling evilly. "So shall it be. Now get up. You look ridiculous."

Grumbling, he got up. "Why do I feel like I just jumped out of the frying pan into the fire?" he mused before he threw her a dark look. "And you know, there has been a time when a lady appreciated a man on his knees before her."

"Yeah, yeah. Just continue to pout. But we've got to go now or we're going to be late. You don't want to be late," Steph lectured him, ignoring Pat's theatre and moving towards her car.

"I do _not_ pout! Men don't pout, Nisha," Pat protested, quite indignated.

She smiled and looked at him over her shoulder. "You do and they do. Now come on!"

With that she hurried the rest of the way to her car and got in. Pat was behind her and was mumbling something. She thought it sounded a lot like 'Wonder what creative ways to kill me Frank Plum came up within seven years'. Giggling Steph put the car in reverse and drove towards the Burg, Pat's silver car hot on her tails.

She had no idea what her parents were going to say to what they had to tell them or if her father really would have any punishment for Pat in mind - but for now she just enjoyed the prospect of Pat sweating in dread of meeting her father again.

Sometimes you just had to live on the little things life offered you.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Okay, back again. I actually had to go to the hospital for five days because the finger got infected, hence the delay. I hope it goes better now, really I do. You just can't control RL sometimes. Anyway, thanks for the many wonderful reviews and the good wishes and I do hope that you liked this chapter as well. More soon!)_


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

After his talk with Mary Lou Ranger had returned with his men to RangeMan. Now he sat in his office, some file laying before him, but he couldn't concentrate on it.

Mary Lou hadn't said anything more. But then, she didn't need to, didn't she? Her reaction had told Ranger enough. Still, he and his men had tried to get the details out of her. With no success. Despite the combined power of Ranger, Tank and Lester she had kept her secrets and what she knew. Part of Ranger admired that about her. He was no fool: He knew exactly what reaction his men and he himself evoked within women, but especially the Burg women. Sure, thank God not every one of them had hormones like his Babe, or, even scarier, Mrs Mazur. But the heavy Italian origin was definitely showing and he often used these ragged hormones to his benefits. Charm the wives and girls and grannies and usually RangeMan got the information they needed.

It was just that Ranger didn't like to use these methods. They were soldiers. Not models, not a dating service and he certainly was not a pimp! But that was exactly like he felt when he sends one of his men out on a romance mission. He had searched for a solution to that problem for a long time. Without success. The Burg could turn to a fortress if it sets its mind to it. So he had continued to romance his way in if the need had arisen. Reluctantly, sure, but it simply had needed to be done. Not anymore though. Because some three years ago he had met a vibrant and beautiful curlyhead, determined to do a job for which she had not the slightest qualification.

Or so Ranger had thought when he had first met her. Oh, he had been attracted and intrigued right from the spot on. There had been a light in her he had himself found drawn towards like a mot to the flame. He had felt his heart being touched for the first time since his marriage with his ex-wife had been over, leaving him convinced that other for a few hours of common sexual release women had no places in his life and certainly not in his heart. He had closed his heart away and had been sure that that was it. But the moment he had laid eyes on Stephanie Michelle Plum, a Burg girl and ex lingerie clerk, his heart had moved in his chest again. It had alarmed him to no end and he had tried to be distant and uninviting, giving her the clear image that he was _not_ interested. Not that women usually took the hint. They sure can be persistent.

Inwardly though he had shaken his head. A Burg girl wanting to play bounty hunter? What an incredulous idea! There were two things though that he had still wondered about: The first thing was how in the hell had she convinced Vinnie to give her the job at all? He didn't like the weasel, but one had to give him that he indeed was damn good in his job and didn't run a successful business on false sentiment. Yet, the chick's last name also was Plum, Vinnie's cousin as it had turned out. So she sure hadn't gotten the job the usual way either. At least he hoped so. Considering Vinnie's - uh, taste, you couldn't be too sure. Perhaps it ran in the family. Somehow it would have seriously disappointed him if she had used sex with Vinnie to get this job though. The other thing he had wondered about was why for heaven's sake Connie had sent the girl to him of all people? She knew he didn't do training outside of his own men and certainly no babysitting and still she had phoned him to ask him to show this chick the rope. When he had refused right out she then had even called in a favor he had owned her.

And Connie was smart enough not to waste favors from him like that.

So, his curiosity peeked, he had asked the chick who her skip was, expecting to hear about some low rated bump or first offender. When she had answered him that it was Morelli, vice cop and out for ten big ones, he had broken out in laughter like he hadn't done it in years. And in public even. He just couldn't help it. But come on, it really had been hilarious. Her, a Burg girl, going after the best cop in town. Because even if he never had liked Morelli much, Ranger had to admit that he was good in his job. He didn't thought for a second that she had any chance at achieving that at all, hell, he actually had his doubts if he himself could catch the cop so easily, one of the reasons why he had refused the case when Vinnie had wanted to give it to him. And so he had told the girl straight out what he thought about her chances of success.

Again she had surprised him though by not only glaring at him, but also by insisting on wanting to do it. That had called out a bit of his respect for her. So he had thought what the hell and had decided to actually play along and show her the most basic ropes. He figured if nothing else, it would at least be a fun time and a man like him, in a business like his, could always use some entertainment.

And he had been right. Showing her the ropes had been funny. Hell, just being with her was - fun. She sure was unique. But within a ridiculous short time she had found the first trace of Morelli. Even better: she had actually met him. Good, she hadn't managed to apprehend him as well, but it was amazing anyway. Of course he only had learned afterwards that Morelli by no means was a stranger to Steph. Once he did learn it his interest had been peeked again and he had investigated their past. What he had learned was even more intriguing for him. There weren't many straight women who successfully resisted the charm of one Joe Morelli. Or, after he had left them, which usually was the case after a few nights, then dared to indeed take and revenged themselves. Actually, he had thought there weren't any such women. Morelli had a way with women, that was no secret. But this girl with a ridiculous fear of guns and, for someone from the Burg an amazing reluctance and intolerance against anything illegal or inflicting bodily harm, had run over him and had broken his leg!

Wouldn't that be amazing enough for everything life had taught him so far about women, the next surprise had already come: She had called him in the middle of the night. Well, that wasn't the unexpected thing. That he had already halfway expected. Like said, he knew the effect he had on women. And part of him had even waited for it, if he was totally honest to himself. He was not only intrigued by that curly headed woman, he was also seriously attracted to her after all. But part of him was also a bit disappointed when the call had come in the end. Somehow, Ranger had thought she'd be different. Well, at least she had been more original than others. The image of her being cuffed to a shower rod had been – arousing, to say at least. And because he was aroused, and because he was intrigued and also because he really wanted this beautiful woman he had given in in the end had gone all the way back to Trenton to _free_ her, fully expecting a hopefully nice man trap setting. It was the least he had expected from her. Style.

Only to pretty much meet the surprise of his life. Oh, she _was_ naked and chained to the shower rod, all right. But that was about all that had met his expectations. One look into her ashamed eyes and he grew aware that she really had only called him to help her out of this vulnerable situation and because she didn't knew who else to ask to not have to call the police or fire department. _Not_ to get him into her bed, not because she wanted him and not because she was just one more wicked woman. No. She had called him because she _trusted_ him. A man she had only just met, who had shown her nothing but his bad ass side and even had laughed her out quite a bit. But she had still trusted him in a way usually only his men trusted him. Perhaps he should have been a bit disappointed that it wasn't some scheme of her to get him into her bed after all, but in truth he was touched by her act of confidence and it did something to him like he hadn't experienced in his life ever before. He hadn't known what it was, but it was something, something big and important. So he had gently released her, making no comments, listening quietly to her explanation how she came to be in this delicate situation in the first place and then he had left again. Without taking a grope at her alluring breasts, without stealing a kiss from these luscious lips and without showing her how much her truly strikingly gorgeous body affected him. Because the truth was that he hadn't been hard like this in years. Or at least not by only simply taking a real good look.

Naturally, then his dream became haunted by her and that luscious body of hers, not helping at all to get her out of his mind and fight that unbelievable attraction he felt towards her. If anything, it only made things worse. He was a man who always was in control of himself, ever since he had passed his first military training, but now suddenly he couldn't stop neither his body to react on sight of that blue-eyed curly head, nor his mind to not drift back to same woman again and again. Her affect had annoyed but also confused the hell out of him. It was only much later that he had finally understood that all that was wrong with him since he had met this woman was that Ranger simply was head over heels in love with her. In the meantime he had gotten shot while being with her, he had pulled a ridiculous amount of private time to help her out with her skips and when she had desperately needed money he had made himself the joke of his friends by taking her on RangeMan's payroll. Not to mention that he started to buy things for her. He'd walk across some thing he thought she could need or that would look great on her and already he found himself pulling out his wallet. It was unreasonable, it was unbelievingly silly and it was humiliating in a way he hadn't thought it was possible for him. Still, he couldn't stop himself. Even though most of these things were still at his home, waiting for the day he found an opportunity or an excuse to give them to her.

But he swore himself that the moment he walked into Victoria's Secret to buy her lingerie would be the day he would shoot himself.

At least the more time passed and the more situations Steph survived, hell, even mastered, the more people started to take her more serious. His men, who had laughed about her and at him for troubling himself with such a hopeless case, not only respected her by now, they had even taken her on as one of their own, had her back no matter what without him having to order a protection detail on her. She had proven to be invaluable on distraction jobs and on gathering information out of the Burg, finally relieving Ranger of the generally disliked 'romance' missions. Yeah, his men now cared for her and, as he strongly suspected, some had even come to love her as they would a love a little sister. At least he hoped it was only brotherly love. None of his men and friends would be stupid enough to get into his way. She was his, that he had made crystal clear right from the beginning. And most of his men who were new or not as close to him as his core team were halfway in love with her, and the most curious thing about that was that it didn't even irk him. Much. As long as they kept their hands to themselves. Who didn't was getting fired, everyone knew that. But other than that it made him strangely proud of his Babe.

His cell phone rang, jerking him away from his travel into his past with his Babe.

"Yo."

"St. Francis, Sir. You wanted to be notified about the status of a Stacey Traveport," a busy voice came from the other end.

"Yes," Ranger nodded. "How is she?"

"She's out of surgery now. The bullet caused great damage and she lost a lot of blood, but she made it through. That is good news. She's in ICU now. It's too early to say she's out of the woods, but the doctor's are positive. She's young and strong and her family is with her now," the voice told him.

"Thank you. Keep me informed," Ranger simply answered, ending the phone call.

Relieved, Ranger tucked away his cell phone again. He had used some of the strings he had placed all over town to get the girl's status, even if he wasn't family or police either. The big chunk of money he donated yearly to St. Francis was a big help in avoiding that standard policy, but it was sure worth it. It was unavoidable that sometimes his men got hurt, despite all the security measures he took to avoid just that, injuries that went beyond Bobby or Ella's skill. And only the best care was acceptable for his men. And sometimes, people were there whom his men cared about, like in this case. Bobby had taken the heavy injuries of the young girl hard. It just lay in his Samaritan nature. Now he could tell him that his actions indeed had probably saved the girl's life and that he shouldn't worry about it anymore. Not that Bobby had any reasons to feel responsible. He had, as Tank had reported to him, immediately taken care of the wounded and that no one had noticed the girl behind the counter earlier sure wasn't Bobby's fault or anyone's for that matter. But knowing his friend he knew it would probably take him a bit more time to also accept this simple truth, but the good news about the girl's status would help nonetheless.

He was just about to go look for Bobby when his cell phone rang again.

"Yo."

"The Bombshell just arrived at her parent's, Sir," Hal reported him.

Tank had also told him that apparently, that McParrish guy somehow thought the shooting was originally meant for his Babe, so Ranger had lost no time and had immediately put a security detail on her. Truth, he would have anyway probably, because let's face it: his Babe was a magnet for trouble and the likelihood that the shots had indeed been meant for her was very big. Through the GPS tracker on her car, whom she had no idea about of course or she would sick her Grandma Mazur on her, they had found her somewhere near the river, talking with McParrish.

"Good. Stay on her once she leaves. Another team will relieve you in four hours," Ranger instructed.

"Yes Sir." Hal hesitated.

Picking right up on it, Ranger frowned. "Something else?"

There was a slight pause before Hal hesitantly spoke again. "Yes, Sir. She's not alone."

That made his blood freeze for a moment. "McParrish," he stated, flatly.

"Yeah."

She had taken that guy home to her parents? After all the havoc he had caused?

Fuck.

"Just stay on her," Ranger said, pressed, and disconnected.

After a moment though he dialed the team keeping an eye on Steph's apartment and sent them over to the Plums to follow McParrish once he finally separated from Steph. Which Ranger hoped would be as soon as they left her parent's house.

His blood was now rushing through him with fire – and fear. It didn't take a genius to know that Steph wouldn't have brought McParrish home to her parents if she was really so angry and unforgiving towards him as it may had looked initially. Not that he was too surprised. It was clear that they had quite a history, hell, apparently they were _married_.

Damn, damn, damn.

He just hoped he hadn't waited too long to finally make his move on her after all.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Again thanks for all the kind wishes! And yeah, my finger gets better, although slowly. I hope you liked this chapter and the short trip into Ranger's memories of his Babe also and more soon. And yeah, it will be the dinner!)_


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Nervously, Steph stopped the car before her parent's home and looked over. Sure enough, there stood her mother, Grandma Mazur, and, oh wonderful luck she had today, also her sister Valerie. Which meant that the Kloughn and the kids were probably somewhere in that house as well… and of course her father. Not exactly the extended audience she had hoped for the first time she brought her husband home.

Husband…

Speaking of which, he had just pulled up behind her. And to the contrary to her he got out without hesitation and walked over to her car, leaning with his back against her door.

"You know, it won't get any better by staying in the car, Nisha." His amused voice came through the slightly opened window soon after.

"Hey, there's a first time for everything, right? Could be very well that tonight is the day where Valerie disappears with her family to her home and Grandma Mazur will be a normal old lady," Steph retorted but got out with a deep sigh.

Pat laughed. "Honey, that grandmother of yours will stay the scary old bat she is way beyond death."

"Hey, you're talking about my grandma here!" Steph chided, even though she had to secretly agree with Pat – still... This was her grandmother and no one bad family was really allowed to talk bad about her.

Of course, the better part of the Burg actually _was_ related to her, so...

"Exactly," Pat responded unfazed and looked over to the three generations of Plum women, all facing them with stern eyes. Well, there was a twinkle in Mrs Mazur eyes. "But I like her none the less," he added with a smile, while he gave Steph a little push to get her moving reluctantly towards her family at last.

"You know, perhaps this wasn't such a good idea. Why don't we just go grab something and…" Steph started to say. Sure, this whole family dinner had been her idea, but now that she saw her mother's mistrustful and disappointed eyes the courage left her.

"Too late," Pat whispered though and then turned on his 1000 watt smile, leading her up the stairs.

"Mrs Plum, it's a pleasure to see you again. Ah, and Mrs Mazur, as beautiful as ever as I see," he smotthly greeted them gallantly, turning on his Irish charm full force, before his gaze turned to Valerie. "And you must be Valerie, right? Steph told me so much about you, but she never said how strikingly gorgeous you are. You two girls really inherited your mother's good looks, huh?" he added and winked at Ellen Plum.

Steph gaped at Pat with an open mouth. Damn that Irish bastard! To lay it so thick… Charming her family… Wait, wasn't that what she wanted? Half shocked and half amused she watched as her mother and Valerie blushed deeply red while her grandma squealed with delight. Of course, only Pat could lay it so thick and actually get away with it. She wasn't sure if even Ranger could have pulled that off. Not that she could ever see him trying seducing a woman in this way. He was more the type to solely rely on the attraction he damn well knew he practically oozed out of every single pore of that gorgeous body of his.

To her knowledge this way of his has yet to fail to work. Pat, though definitely sporting a gorgeous body and looks himself, preferred to rely on his charm rather than brute sex-appeal. Of course, as far as she knew, this had worked for him always as well.

"Damn, Stephie, you sure know how to go snatch yourself all the hottest guys and smooth talkers!" Grandma Mazur exclaimed, grinning leeringly at Pat.

"Uh…" Steph articulated, not really having an answer to that. Okay, so yeah, most of the men in her recent life had indeed been considered some of the hottest of their species, but then, if anything, this was her grandmother's fault. Or whom else could she thank for her crazy Hungarian hormones who only went for the walking sex gods among manhood? So instead she waved at him. "Hey everyone. You remember Pat? Patrick Mc Parrish? He visited us a few times while I was in Princeton."

"You bet I remember him! Who could forget such a nice stud like him after all?" Grandma Mazur grinned, letting her eyes roam over Pat's body appreciatively. "And you boy, you don't just talk smooth, I see you got that yummie body of yours into an even better shape than before." She nodded. "Yeah, that's how I like my men: actually caring for their appearance, taking good care of such a nice package like yours."

Steph couldn't help but snort at the sudden redness on Pat's cheek and the suddenly slightly dilated eyes of him. That was until her grandmother elbowed her into the side. "You better watch out for that man of yours, Stephie! Such a real nice package doesn't come your way all the time. And the boy sure looks like he has enough stamina to last you for a _long_ while."

"Mother!"

Her mom's indignant exclamation saved Steph from finding an answer to that as well. By now she should be accustomed to her grandmother's boldness, but that now seemed even for her a bit extreme. She looked at Pat, who had closed his eyes and wore a nearly comical painful expression. Right then he opened them again though and his eyes found hers. For a long moment he stared at her, his eyes shining with determination. "You owe me," he mouthed to her, before turning away and stepping into the house after her mom and sister had ushered Grandma Mazur inside before she could continue to drool all over Pat.

Well, Steph guessed he was right with that one. Given how any normal people would react to such a comment of an old bat, uh old woman, especially men, she probably really owed him something. Then again, fate had dealt her with a grandmother, she figured she had to get at least something for it in return. Like watching strong, confident men like Pat and Ranger waver, confronted with Grandma Mazur and knock herself dead with laughing at them for it.

Once inside, she noticed with relief that the women seemed to have all gone to the kitchen as she only found her father sitting in his usual chair in front of the television, watching a game, with the Kloughn sitting on the couch, desperately trying to understand what happened there on the screen. He desperately tried to bond with his stoic father-in-law through sport, but the lawyer just didn't seem to get it. Pat still stood a few steps away from the door, apparently waiting for her, casting nervous glances towards her father.

Shaking her head amused, Steph moved past Pat to her father and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, Dad. Where do they stand?" she asked, plopping herself down on the couch. No hundred horses would bring her into the kitchen right now. Besides, she always had preferred to rather watch a game that doing what women were supposed to do in this neighborhood while their husbands watched the game.

Story of her life. Always wanting what she couldn't or shouldn't have.

At least not in the eyes of her perfect Burg mother.

"21 to 19," her dad told her, not moving his eyes away from the game. "You want to stay there by the door all night?" he asked then though, it taking everyone a moment before they understood that he was addressing Pat.

"No Sir." Pat hurried to assure him and promptly moved over to the couch to stand behind Steph.

Steph rolled her eyes. "Dad, you remember Pat? Patrick McParrish?"

For a second, her dad actually tore his eyes from the game to look at Pat. "I remember," he said, shortly, his eyes returning to the game.

"Nice to see you again, Sir," Pat carefully replied, glancing at Steph, nervously.

But Steph just nodded over at Albert. "Pat, this is my brother in law, Albert Kloughn. Albert, this is Pat."

"Pat? Hey, I always thought that was a girl's name," Albert commented with risen eye-brows, holding out his sweaty hand.

Pat raised an eyebrow and shot a giggling Steph a warning glare, before he shook the offered hand. "Not in Ireland," he answered dryly.

"Ireland? Oh, so you're Irish? Last spring I was with Valerie in the Big Apple and we saw that Irish show, uh, Riverdance, yes, that was it! Awesome! I especially liked that woman dancing the flamenco. You must really love your dances huh? Say, you all dance like that? With all the legs going up so high, being so stiff all the time? You wear those legging stuff for that too? Say, doesn't that rub you… you know?"

Pat's eyes widened a little bit, probably only noticeable to Steph. When he looked at her briefly she suppressed a laugh. Well, no one could blame her for Albert being a part of her family now. It was Valerie, perfect Saint Valerie, who had gotten pregnant by him and then had married him.

"Sorry, Albert I wouldn't know that. And no, we can't dance all like that," Pat answered finally. "It's not all that typical either."

"Ah, too bad. Would have loved to learn it. It really looked great, you know. So, when you said you were Irish I thought maybe you could have shown me," Albert sighed, looking disappointed.

This time, Steph couldn't help but laugh at the horrified expression in Pat's eyes. Taking pity on him, she distracted her brother in law from his momentary fascination by asking about the kids. "Hey, Albert, where are the girls?" she wanted to know. But she sure would remember this little scene. Truth was that Pat was an excellent dancer. And even though he didn't exactly dance like the guys in the popular Irish shows, he sure knew how to dance at ceilies, having taken her along to some of them. Ah, there just was nothing over good old blackmail material! After all, he wouldn't want her hinting to the Kloughn that Pat could actually show him how to dance Irish style very well.

"At my mother's. She wanted to spend more time with Lisa and the others. Somehow, she thought Ellen and Frank had much more of them than her, so she demanded to have her at least once in the week. Too bad you miss Lisa," he said proudly, looking at Pat. "She's a gorgeous baby! And even though she's teething right now, she hardly cries!"

Well, if 'hardly cries' meant that the girl was perhaps only silent for three hours a day if you were lucky. Not that Steph was an expert on that. Perhaps other babies cried 24/7.

"I'm sure she is a beautiful baby, Albert." Pat said, then gave her a withering look, before he started to scan the room more closely.

Looking around herself, Steph tried to see her childhood home with the eyes of someone who hadn't been here in years. And it looked still the same to her, more or less. Some vases had been replaced, some new little porcelain stuff stood around, but generally, there hadn't changed much. Something that she actually found deeply comforting, in a way, always reassuring her when she needed a little reassurance. As long as her home was the home she had grown up in and remained the same, as long she could always tell herself that the world was all right after all. It had been good to come home after the loss of Pat and Brianna. Deeply lost in her pain, it had been the first stable thing in her life again – or better said had reminded her of this one constant thing she could always rely on. Her parents, her grandma, this house. Her old room upstairs, that even though it was her grandmother's now, still was hers in so many ways.

Pat's hand gently squeezing her shoulder made her look up. Pat smiled knowingly at her. "Dinner's ready."

Oh. Quickly, Steph looked over at the table and sure enough, beside her mother and her and Pat they were all already seated around the table. "Right," she mumbled, embarrassed, and stood up, moving over to the table quickly.

It didn't surprise her at all that one chair beside her grandmother was still empty, as well as one between her father and Albert. And of course the one of her mother at the other end of the table. Nor did it surprise her that her grandma sighed disappointedly when she sat down beside her, like she had promised Pat earlier on. Giving her a deeply grateful look, Pat slid onto the other empty chair.

Ten minutes later they all sat happily eating the Hungarian stew and most of them even happier that so far, no one had said much since the food had arrived. Too bad that blissful silence could only last so lang, at least with having a certain old bat sitting at the table as well.

"So you big st…" Grandma Mazur started to say.

The grip of Steph's dad around his knife tightened noticeable.

"So, Patrick, what have you been doing all this time?" Steph's mom hurried to interrupt whatever her mother had wanted to say.

"Photographs, Mam. I'm a photographer," Pat answered, looking up.

"Really? Wow, what an exciting job! All that models! And those places where you are shooting! Is it true that most of them models throw up all their food to look so thin? And hey, to they really use hemorrhoids gel to get rid of the circles under their eyes? And hairspray to stop bathing suits from riding up?" Albert chirped up immediately.

Again, Pat threw Steph a poignant look. Seemed like her debt to him piled up. Steph shrugged. She hadn't an idea where Albert got all the ideas and thoughts that left his mouth from. But the more time she spent with him, the more she wondered who was actually worse: her grandmother or Albert?

"I don't know, Albert. I'm not a fashion photographer," Pat patiently replied.

"No? What then?" Valerie asked. Steph wasn't sure if she really was interested in the answer or if she just wanted to prevent her husband to say anything more.

"I work as a freelancer for several newspaper and magazines," Pat answered her with a smile.

"What kind of pictures?" Valerie inquired, confirming Steph's suspicion that she actually asked out of a real interest.

"War and actual events mostly," Pat said.

"Oh…" Valerie practically breathed.

"So I guess you travel a lot?" Steph's mother chimed in, more as a statement than a question.

"Yes indeed," Pat nodded.

In the meantime, Steph took in Pat's cover story. Sure, she had already heard him tell Joe that he was a photographer earlier on, but she hadn't been sure if that was just the cover of the moment or the one he used in normal life. Seemed like it was the real deal though. It was a good one. A real good one. He had liked to take pictures, actually even selling some of them, and it blended well with his major in politology and his supplement master in photography. Not to mention that it fit him well. It would explain why he was away so often and even why he sometimes may be wounded. Everybody knew nowadays that war photographers didn't exactly lead a safe life. Hell, it probably was true and Pat indeed worked as a photographer.

Just not only as that.

"Who wants to know what his job is?" Grandma Mazur asked, rolling her eyes. "I want to know how it comes he isn't dead!"

Valerie and Steph's mom choked on the bite they just had taken, while Albert let his fork fall down onto the plate, it sounding loudly in the sudden stunned silence. Steph's head had jerked up and she stared at her grandmother with shocked eyes. Only her dad didn't look like he had heard his mother in law's question and peacefully continued to eat his meal. Pat's eyes flickered over to Steph, looking for an advice how he should react to this.

Ok, her grandmother was definitely way worse than her brother in law. "What are you talking about ,Grandma?" Steph asked tentatively, finally coming out of the stupor. Perhaps she had just picked that out of the rumor mills that must have been going hot the whole afternoon.

"Now, don't play cow with me, young lady. I remember well the night you came to me and cried your broken heart out over his death," her grandmother told her sternly though, before turning her eyes back to Pat.

"I never…" Steph started to protest.

But she got interrupted immediately by a sigh of her grandmother. "You were drunk and it was the night you left the Dick. I'm not surprised you don't remember, still, you told me the whole story."

"I did?" Steph asked, warily. She had been pretty plastared that night, she remembered as much. Truth was, much after finding Dickie and Joyce on her dining room table and her straight walk to the next divorce lawyer she could find was still in the dark. She never had bothered to remember the rest of that day though, not really seeing the point in it. Now she saw it. What else had she told her grandmother? Or an even better question: Whom else had she told things she shouldn't have?

"Well?" Grandma Mazur asked Pat, ignoring Steph's confusion.

"Mother, really, that is totally…" Steph's mom tried to intervene.

"Actually, Ellen, I think Edna's right. I'd like to hear that explanation as well."

Everyone stared at Steph's dad like he had sprouted a second head. Frank Plum didn't talk at table, and he didn't follow the conversations. That just was how it always had been and still was and probably always would be. To now not only take a part in a conversation, but to be on his mother in law's side, claiming even that she was right with something? That was unprecedented so far.

Unfazed by the gaping looks he got from his family, Frank Plum looked up and pierced Pat, who had paled considerably, with his suddenly very frosty looking blue eyes, before he turned to his youngest daughter and put his cutlery down onto his clean plate. "And from you I'd like to know why you thought it necessary to not tell your parents and family that you have been not only married to this young man for almost a year, but that you were expecting his child when you married that loser?"

All color leaving her face, Steph's mouth dropped open and she stared at her father, unable to form a thought, not to mention a word.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Yeah, I just love good old Papa Plum. In my opinion definitely the character most neglected by JE. Then again, this way, our imagination can go wild on him, right, so maybe it isn't such a bad thing after all. More soon!)_


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Feeling utterly drained, Steph closed the door behind her softly and leaned against it, eyes closed, and let out a deep, deep sigh. "Well, that went well," she commented dryly.

Pat gave a sound between a gasp, a laugh and a whimper as only answer. She opened her eyes to look at him. He looked very pale – and a little green around the nose. "You're still alive, aren't you?" she reminded him, only half joking. It was very seldom that she had seen her father so angry. "In fact, we're both still breathing and uninjured."

"I'm not so sure about that, Nisha," Pat sighed and closed his eyes. "Your father for sure has cost me at least a decade of my life if not more." He opened his eyes again to gaze at her with his intense green eyes that held an edge of fear and shuddered. "Your father is a very scary man, mo gradhaich."

Well, Steph supposed it was so. He was her dad though, and even though she feared his rage she knew he wouldn't kill her. Her daddy loved her, no matter what, something she always had just known, never had to doubt. She guessed Pat didn't have that luxury. Besides, she also knew that, time given, her dad and her would be ok again – not that they weren't ok now. Just a little – disappointment on his side and shock on her side perhaps. Shock that he had known all about Pat, not really giving an answer as to how he came to know all that (seriously, 'I have my ways' just wasn't an answer at all) and shock at how angry and hurt he obviously seemed to have been about her silence about that part of her life. But nonetheless she knew that it would pass. They'd be okay. Her mother though… After her father's little speech she had sat like frozen on her chair, her eyes looking right through Steph. There had been a big chaos – her father silently waiting for their responses, Pat and Steph trying to stutter some explanations, too shocked to get much out though, and Val, Albert and Grandma Mazur had loudly spoken above everyone else, firing startled questions and hurt exclamations and gleeful dirty comments like machine guns. All of it had been pretty overwhelming and Steph honestly hadn't noticed that much after her father's questions – but she had seen the way her mother had been, and never in her life had she felt more guilt than right in that moment.

"Mom…" she desperately had called out.

Slowly, her mother had looked at her, really looked at her, before she had simply stood and left for the kitchen. Steph's father had watched her go and then had turned back to face the people at his table and had let out a shrill whistle.

Silence had fallen upon them like an ax crushing down on wood and all had stared with wide eyes at the man of the house. "Val, Albert, I think it's best you leave. Edna, I'd appreciate if you could leave us alone as well. Ellen and I have to talk to Steph and Patrick," he had said calmly.

No one had dared to argue. They just had gotten up and left. Steph had watched them go warily and perhaps for the first time in her life she had wished her sister would stay. But then, as she knew Val, her sister would have probably just made it worse. So she had just reached for Pat's hand under the table and had squeezed it. Her dad had gotten up and had left for the kitchen and they could hear her parents softly talk with each other. Pat and Steph had exchanged looks and finally had gotten up slowly, to go join them in the kitchen and give her parents all the answers they needed. And boy had they had a lot to answer.

It pretty sure had been the most difficult three hours of Steph's life. There had been tears, accusations, screaming, a lot of apologizing and even some pretty harsh words. In the end though it looked as if her and Pat had been able to make them understand at least a bit better, why she had never mentioned her life with Pat to them. Though Steph knew the hurt in her mother's eyes would remain there for a long time to come. That she had been married, hell, even had been pregnant once and lost that child and never telling one single word to her about it really had hit her mother hard. Had hurt her more than Steph had thought it possible and she sure would try everything to make it up to her again. For now though, she guessed she just had to live with that and hope that her mother would forgive her one day. But her mother had offered them cake to take along and so Steph knew also that she was still a member of this family, a welcome one. No one else got offered cake to take home in this family.

And it also showed that Pat had already been accepted as a part of this family as well.

So yeah, actually it had gone pretty well, all things considered. Steph shook her head and sighed. "Come on, let's go."

Pat nodded and led her away from her parent's home, over to their cars. "Where to?" he asked quietly.

Steph stopped and looked down. If she only knew what she wanted… Part of her wanted to invite him home into her bed. And part of her was too confused and scared to let him anyway near her home. How do you deal with a dead believed husband? Well, she had no idea, but as long as she was this divided she couldn't let him back into her home – or life.

Slowly, she raised her head to look him into his eyes. "I know there is more we need to talk about. But I can't anymore – not right now." She sighed. "You, the shootout, our talk, the talk with my parents… it's enough for one day, Pat."

His eyes gentle, he nodded. "I understand. But I'm afraid, first thing tomorrow, we have to, Nisha. It's too important to postpone it much longer than that."

She tiredly shrugged. "Tomorrow morning then."

Pat looked down at his feet, his hands buried into his pockets. "Nisha…" he started, hesitantly.

"No, Pat," Steph stopped him right there. "I can't. I really can't. I need some time to process all this. To think about it. Until I know how to deal with all this, what I want, I need you to leave me alone."

Pat looked up then and the need in his eyes was almost doing her in. But she couldn't give in. She wouldn't.

"I'm not sure I can, Nisha. Seven years I dreamed of coming to get you back. Seven years I dreamed of being back in your presence, to be able to speak to you again. To touch you. Hold you." He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "Kiss you," he whispered and lowered his head slowly, giving her time to refuse him a kiss. But God help her, she couldn't and the kiss he gave her left her swaying on suddenly weak knees. His arms caught her around her waist and pulled her against his chest, wrapping around her. "To love you," he whispered into her hair and she shivered at the tender heat and love in his voice. "Seven years are a long time, Nisha. The need for you nearly drove me crazy – and yet was also the thing that gave me the strength to go through every second of every minute of every day of every year since we've got ripped apart."

Steph had trouble breathing all of sudden, so hard her heart clenched at his pained words. Involuntarily, she buried her head deeper into his chest, her arms slipping around his neck and holding him tighter.

"I have only so much control, Nisha. You're here, in my arms, right now, and neither death nor a marriage stand between us anymore. My head knows to give you time – to give you space to process all this. That I too need all that." He sighed and kissed the top of her head. "But my heart speaks differently, Nisha. It tells me to not let you out of my eyes, out of my arms again, in fear that this is all only a dream and I'll wake up every minute now to the hell my life has been these past seven years. It tells me to swoop you up into my arms and bring you to the nearest safe place where I can show you just _how _much I missed you and want and need you. I want to claim you, body, heart and soul and I want you to claim me, body, heart and soul."

His desperate, but oh so beautiful words washed over her like a gentle stream of water and hit her heart with the force of little arrows of need, love and pain. Steph trembled with the effort to not give in and simply sink into Pat's embrace, to let her heart free and fly to him once again. But she managed to restrain herself. She gently freed herself from his arms enough to gaze up into his eyes which were raw with emotions. "God, Pat, believe me, I know how you feel. Part of me wants the same thing more than anything else right now. But it wouldn't be right, not now, not tonight. I loved you. I still love you. It's been seven years and I have changed and I assume, you have also. How can we know we still want these new versions of us? Plus, I'm not sure if I can go through what I have again. I'm not sure I'm strong enough for that. Neither though am I sure that I can let you go again, now that I have you back. I simply don't know, Pat, and until I do it's not fair for either of us to give in to our need. Because Pat, if I won't be able to go through it and try it another time with you then it would just be cruel to you and me. And I don't want us to hurt even more than we already are."

Pat gave a sad smile. "Can't we just follow our hearts and join in love again? We won't want to separate ever again after that."

"And that exactly is the problem, Pat. If I take you back, then I want it to really be my will, not the desire of a momen," Steph reasoned, quietly. "Don't you want to have that certainty as well?"

With a sigh, Pat kissed her forehead then released her and took a step back. "Yeah. You're right. I want it too." He shook his head and glanced at her. "You always knew to throw in good arguments for your point of view."

Steph smiled. "And you always had the ability to talk the stars down on earth," she countered.

"Looks like I'm a bit rusted though. You won't take me home after all, right?" Pat mentioned with a smile as well.

"No. Neither do I want you camping out in my parking lot," Steph told him firmly.

His smile vanished and he shook his head. "Sorry, Nisha, but I can't let you…"

"Oh, this is not a question of 'let me', Pat," Steph interrupted him icily. "I'm simply telling you. If you're stupid enough to still show up I'm going to call the police and report you for stalking and harassing me."

Pat raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't dare," he said, frowning though.

Feeling her anger flare up a little, Steph just gave him the Burg glare.

His frown intensified. "You would."

"You bet I will," Steph confirmed, content that the patented Burg glare didn't fail for once. Oh, not that it had become ineffective. She just had made the experience that guys like Pat and Ranger or the Merry Men were usually unaffected by it. A very unnerving habit of them, especially when you were around those guys as much as she was. "Besides, there won't be a problem. I'll be fine for now," she reassured him.

For a moment, Pat was silent, looking up and down the street. His gaze lingered on both ends of the street. Finally though, he looked back at Steph. "What makes you so sure of that? Especially after what happened at Pino's?" he asked, interested it seemed.

Steph shrugged. "Because the police will drive by my building regularly. Because Ranger will have some of his men on me, if I want it or not. And because I know that if you really expect something to happen to me in my apartment, you'd already had me transported to some safe house long ago."

Pat looked towards the corner of the streets again. "I really hate that talent of finding just the right arguments of yours," he grumbled.

He got a bright smile in return. "What can I say? Never argue with a Burg woman."

"I'll remember that in the future," Pat muttered darkly.

This time, Steph laughed. "No, you won't. You love it too much to argue with me, don't you, McParrish?"

Pat couldn't help but smile. "Aye. You're just too cute all riled up with me, Plum."

Her eyes narrowed and Pat laughed. "See?" he pointed out, smirking. "Besides," he added with a wicked smile, "make up sex with you is just too much one of my favorites to waste opportunities like that."

Steph narrowed her eyes. "Keep talking like that, pal, and all you'll ever get again is a finger."

The wicked smile got impious. "Ah, but a finger of yours can do wonders, M'lady."

She opened her mouth to say something else but stopped herself. There was no point to it anyway. Sometimes, those Irish ears could turn pretty deaf to her words. And she had to be careful: wouldn't have been the first time they landed up humping each other senseless after a verbal sparring like this. So she just gave him one last deadly glare and turned to get into Big Blue. But before she even managed to open the door, she was whirled around and Pat was on her, pressing her against the car and hungrily kissing her. First she pushed against him, break their lip contact, but within seconds she forgot all about that and melted against him, returning his kiss not minder hungrily, her hands trailing down his chest to the waist of his dark blue jeans.

Suddenly though, reason rushed back into her, reminding her just why she had not wanted to do this and she broke their kiss, pushing at his chest to step back again. This time, to her immense relief, Pat let himself be pushed away. Because she had no qualms about this: she would have had no chance to push him away if he'd had decided to just ravish her. A few seconds longer melting into his kiss and she would have let him do with her whatever he wanted and by God, she would have loved it, no doubt about that. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, she tried to regulate her breathing. "Dammit, Pat, I told you…"

"I've heard you, mo gradhaich. But I couldn't let you go without a proper goodnight kiss, couldn't I?" he interrupted her protest, giving her that damn innocent oh so harmless smile.

Ha, harmless! That smile of him should be registered as a weapon, if you asked her.

So she just growled lowly and finally got into her car without another word. She was already pulling away when she opened the window and flicked him a very dirty gesture.

Maybe not the most mature thing she ever had done, but hell, it felt good.

Pat grinned and affectionately watched her drive away. Once she was out of sight, he too got back into his car and waited. Sure enough, a black car soon pulled away from the curb on one end of the street and followed his wife with some distance. He waited another moment before he pulled away as well, driving into the opposite direction than Nisha had taken, taking it more casually, not at all in a hurry. His eyes though flickered to his rear mirror every other second, watching the street behind him attentively. Just when he took a turn for the left, leaving the street, he saw another black car pull away at the other end of the street. Smiling, he waited patiently until they had followed him around the corner and out of the Burg before he suddenly accelerated, his smile turning into a grin.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

_In the car at one end of the street_

Hal watched warily as the Bombshell was wrapped into that stranger's arms and looked over to his partner, glooming. "Shit."

Cal nodded grimly. "Santos was right: The shit is about to hit the fan."

They fell silent again, watching the pair whispering to each other. When they finally kissed, both of Hal and Cal's faces darkened even more.

"I'm not telling the boss that," Hal hurried to say.

Cal shook his head. "Neither will _I_," he stated with vehemence.

"I was refusing first. You tell him," Hal protested though, not having any of it.

Cal snorted. "I like my head too much to let it be ripped off, thank you very much."

"You think I don't?" Hal hissed.

Cal looked back to the pair and his sullen mood lifted. "Hey, looks like he managed to piss her off."

Hal looked back to them as well just in time to see the Bombshell give McParrish the Burg glare and shuddered, sending a silent thanks heavenwards that he was not at the other end of that glare – and hopefully never will be ever again. He actually preferred it to get stunned than to have to endure this - look. "How's the boss able to withstand that?" he muttered, shaking his head wonderingly.

His partner shrugged, shuddering himself. "I asked Tank once. Said it had to do with the boss being in love with the Bombshell."

Silently, they watched McParrish's careful expression change into a nasty smile and they both sighed.

"Did he mean that generally for the glares of those crazy Burg women or just for the boss and the Bombshell?" Hal asked, frowning.

Cal sighed. "Both I think."

Hal was about to utter his opinion on that when the sight of McParrish whirling the Bombshell around and pressing her against the car stopped him. They both tensed and moved their hands toward their gun. But all McParrish did was kiss her. And boy did he kiss her. It looked like he wanted to eat and drink her alive, his tongue was so deep down her throat. But when she started to kiss him back it got suddenly very hot in this part of the Burg and Hal and Cal were increasingly sitting very uncomfortably in their seats, their combat pants rapidly growing very tight over their groin. They watched the heated show, better than any porn ever could be, and didn't know if to groan in pleasure or worry.

"Fuck, if they don't stop soon they're going to do it right there on the hood of that ugly car," Hal moaned.

Cal just offered a gurgled agreement.

Thankfully though, the Bombshell suddenly pushed McParrish away and Hal and Cal sighed in relief – and disappointment. Then they looked at each other. "You're going to tell him," they simultaneously said, pointing at each other.

They glared each other down, willing the other to break first. But it was the slamming of a car door and the roar of a motor that broke their look back over to the object of their surveillance eventually, just in time to see the Bombshell pulling away. Hal cursed and started the motor, the lights still turned off for now, and waited for her to pass them. When they saw her parting hand gesture for McParrish, they laughed though. "Way to go," Hal cheered, Cal just grinning dirtily in response.

As soon as she had turned the corner, Hal pulled away as well, with a last glance towards McParrish who had gotten into his own car the moment she had vanished from his sight. "The device working?" he wanted to know.

Cal nodded, reading the display. "She's heading home."

"Contact the boss."

Cal looked incredulously at him. "You're the team leader here. You contact him."

Hal narrowed his eyes to slits. "And as your superior officer I give you a direct order," he reminded his partner sharply.

But Cal just shook his head again. "In order to keep my body intact, I have to refuse this order, Sir."

Hal's jaw clenched. This wasn't getting them anywhere. Or rather, if they didn't report in to the boss soon they would both make a trip to the hospital – or the morgue. "Fuck," he hissed, with feeling.

Suddenly though, he had an idea. "Ok, then contact Tank," he told Cal.

Cal's sullen face lit up and he reached for the radio. "Tank?"

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Well, I hope you aren't disappointed that I didn't outline the following conversation with her parents more, but this just felt more like it for me. We want to get along after all, don't we? As always thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews and kind words and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. More soon!)_


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Ric?"

Ranger looked up.

"Hal and Cal radioed in: The Bombshell's on her way home," Tank told him, leaning against the door frame.

Ranger frowned. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but then, he knew he needed to know. But before he could ask, Tank gave him the answer he was looking for already. "Alone. McParrish took off into the other direction. Raoul and Zerafin are on him."

Relief flooded him and its intensity shocked Ranger. Even if he had admitted his feelings for Steph, it still frightened him how much the thought of McParrish spending the night at hers pained and disturbed him. It made clear that it really was time to stop fretting around and go after his Babe – if it wasn't already too late for that.

Dios, let it not be too late!

"You finally through with being a coward and asshole?"

His head jerked up and Ranger gave Tank a cold stare. "Shut up."

But Tank was unfazed by his glare and just returned it with a cool, serious look straight into Ranger's eyes of his own. "You know it's about time. And you also know that I'm right." He sighed and came in, closing the door behind him. "I just hope it's not too late," he echoed Ranger's thoughts of just before.

For a moment, Ranger contemplated to start a fight – he sure was in the mood to rough something or someone up. But then he let it go reluctantly. Now was not the time. Besides, there had been something in Tank's voice that made him apprehensive.

"Why? You heard something?"

Tank was silent and avoided his eyes.

Frowning, Ranger sat forward and thought. He narrowed his eyes. "Why did the teams report to you and not me?" he demanded to know sharply, finally seeing the relevant point.

Slowly, Tank met his eyes. "Because they feared to get skinned for bringing you bad news."

Ranger's eyes narrowed to slits while his heart started to beat faster in cold fear. "Why?"

With a sigh, Tank sat down. "They kissed, Ric. They kissed and made out and from what the boys told me it was _hot_." He broke off, then shook his head. "Hot and serious."

Ranger felt his jaw clenching and he caught himself moving his hand towards his gun and then just fisted it instead. Abruptly, he looked away and swiveled his seat around to gaze outside. So they kissed… so what? They kissed before, as much was obvious. So they made out… well, from all he had heard this wasn't too surprising wither. Then why did he feel so uneasy about this?

'_Joder.'_

The phone rang and Ric swiveled around to take the receiver. "What?!" he bellowed, pissed off.

But when Tank gave him a warning look, Ranger took a deep, calming breath. He couldn't lose it like that. A bit calmer, he listened to his man's report. But the calm didn't last long, not with what he just heard, and furious, he jumped up. "Qué?! ¡Entonces encuéntrelo usted perdedors stupidos! ¡Y no se atreve regresar antes usted hace!" he spat and threw the receiver through his office. It crashed against the wall and fell to the floor in pieces. Not that Ranger cared. These goddamn idiots!

Tank looked at the remains of the phone then back to Ranger, his eyes serious, both his eyebrows raised, silently asking what was wrong now. "These imbéciles lost him!" Ranger seethed.

Alarmed, Tank sat up. "McParrish?"

"Who else?" Ranger asked impatiently.

The frown increased. "Just who _is_ this guy?"

Ranger shook his head. He had no answer to that and he didn't like that. And he didn't like that he had no idea where McParrish was now. What if he…

Refusing to finish that thought, he looked at Tank. "Anything new on him?"

Tank shook his head. "We checked his background. So far it jams with what he told us. Went to Princeton and took politology, photography and literary as a sidekick and majored in all three. He started to work for various newspapers until he went free lancer four years ago. And they seem to scramble for him. His pictures appeared in pretty much all major newspapers in and out of the States. Basically, he was everywhere in the world, though mostly he's specialized in war photography. He has good connections and his file is flawless. Too flawless if you ask me."

"Family?" Ranger asked tentatively.

"Mother died in a riot in Belfast when he was six, his father a year later. The boy was shipped out to his uncle in New York where he spent most of the rest of his youth. He went to a military academy, enlisted with the Navy for three years until he dropped out and went to Princeton."

At this Ranger listened up. "Why?"

Tank shrugged. "No idea. His file says he was an excellent soldier and pilot and that they regretted his decision. Anyway. His records don't speak of any engagements or marriages and so far we found no hint of him knowing the Bombshell."

Ranger threw him a dark look. "They obviously know each other."

Tank nodded. "Yeah. But not according to his file. This only confirms to me that it's nothing else but a real nice and real good cover. The question is: for what?"

That was the question, wasn't it? It concerned Ranger that they hadn't been able to find out more. He had a very good information network and he had good contacts. There was almost nothing he couldn't find out. Well, perhaps they just needed more time – but something told Ranger that that would not bring them any further either. No, the best chance for finding the true identity of McParrish was the man itself – or his Babe. As he doubted McParrish would willingly give him the answers he wanted and because he also was pretty sure that torture was not an option either with this guy, he would have to try it with his Babe.

Not something he looked forward to.

Pushing the unwanted thought away, he grabbed his keys.

"Where are you going?" Tank asked, alarmed.

Ranger gave him an unfriendly glare. "Home. You've got something against that?"

Tank raised his hands in defense. "No man, not me."

Ranger ignored him and moved to the door and was already almost out when Tank added smugly. "Oh and Ric? Give the Bombshell a kiss from me!"

The only answer Ranger gave him was slamming the door behind him. Tank was wrong… he wouldn't go to her.

He _wouldn't._

* * *

Of course he had gone to her in the end.

Perhaps he hadn't wanted to go to her, but none the less he found himself in front of her apartment house. He had driven deeply in thoughts about McParrish and his speculations about who was behind the shootout at Pino's, not really aware of where he was driving and it had led him here.

For a long time, he just sat in his truck, not sure what to do. Instinct told him that tonight was not the time to go talk to his Babe – and even less to try anything else. But there was also this overwhelming need to see her, a need that drove him here almost every night now. Sometimes he would give in and go up, slip inside to check on her.

He had long ago installed a security system in the entire building to give himself more peace about her security – but it was like it was somehow bewitched. It had system failures not even the manufacturer knew existed. It was breached so often no one could be sure if it was a real alarm or not. And no matter what he tried in order to keep a camera on his Babe's door – it never caught the various burglars of her. So he'd given up and had it uninstalled in the end, returning o good old manpower instead. Mostly, he kept a team here, at least as soon as he knew she was in trouble again.

Which was most of the time. She sure had a knack of finding herself in a deep load of bad trouble and just like she said, it was seldom really her fault. The trouble just found her all the time. It still worried the hell out of those who loved her though.

For him, something happening to her was an unbearable thought, one he simply refused to accept even as a possiblity. Willpower could do a lot, if you really set your mind to it, as much he had learnt in his years in service.

So he went to check on her himself almost daily by now. At first he had told himself it was just because he wanted to make sure she was safe. But the longer it went on, the more he had to admit to himself that it had only little to do with that – and almost everything with the fact that he simply needed to see her.

That he simply couldn't live without her anymore.

The times when she had stayed with Morelli had been hard. But then the idiot usually had been so often away it hardly mattered the few nights the cop actually was home, forcing Ranger to stay out. And now she was free and fair game again. For quite some time already. But had Ranger acted on it?

No.

Tank was right. He was a coward and he had been an asshole. And his only excuse was that his Babe had driven him crazy, like only a woman can make a usually controlled and balanced man crazy.

And now…

Now he wasn't sure if he had the right to go up to see her anymore. It was one thing if she was in that crazy relationship with the cop – but an altogether thing if she was married to that guy. He feared to go up. Not sure if she was alone or not. Not sure if he wanted to really know what was going on between her and McParrish. Not sure if he could bear her telling him that they could no longer do their sort of flirting.  
That she was taken. That she loved McParrish.

No.

No, he couldn't face that… not tonight. Ranger knew he'd need to face it soon… but not right now. He looked up at her bedroom window and saw the delicate silhouette of her moving past it, probably to go into bed. Seconds later, the light went out.

For now it was enough to know that she was safe home. And alone. He hadn't seen any signs of McParrish so far, nor his car. Good.

Besides, from what Tank and the guys had told him, it was pretty obvious that McParrish's appearance had pretty much shaken his Babe. This night she probably had enough to sort out, without having to deal with Ranger on top of it all. So he would leave her the peace to sort things out… like McParrish had done.

Grinding his teeth at that unwelcome thought, Ranger started the car and pulled away to finally drive home like he had originally planned. And this time he pushed everything away and just concentrated on getting home.

* * *

Twenty minutes later he got out of his car and moved to the elevator that would bring him up into his kitchen in the dark. The garage as well as different training areas, some arsenal and the big vault were underground, stretching out over almost his entire ground. It had taken years and a lot of bribing to get everything the way he wanted and each blueprints either destroyed, deleted or forged. The only original plans were here, in a five level secured vault along with other things and papers Ranger didn't want anyone to know about. The only other person who had full access to the vault was Tank. And only his core team and Elena, his house keeper, had access to the gates and security system – or knew where he lived at all. Oh well, his relatives knew that as well of course, but not even them knew all the codes.

His batcave.

Ranger leaned his head against the elevator and closed his eyes. He often wondered what Steph would say once she actually saw it. Would she be disappointed? Or pleased? Would she like it here? Could she see it as her home? He wasn't sure. The underground areas would probably match her wild imagination, at least to some degree. But his real home was upstairs. What would she think of his big wooden kitchen? Of his living room, full of books and music? Lately he had started to build up his DVDs as well, knowing full well that this had been solely his Babe's influence. Hell, the first two movies he had collected were 'My Fair Lady' and 'Ghostbusters'.

He _hated_ Ghostbusters.

And then there was his bedroom. Would she feel at home there, in his bed? Would she gladly hang her things into his closet, fill the drawers with her underwear?

He didn't know. The only thing he was fairly sure was that she would like the master bathroom. There were no shower rods for starters. It was big and luxurious and his Babe could spend her entire time in the tube.

If she ever agreed to live here – with him.

Shaking his head, he finally left the elevator, having no idea how long he had been lost in his thoughts, standing in there even though the ride had been long over. He laid his keys and wallet to the other keys in a bowl beside the elevator and moved over to the fridge to grab himself a beer.

He needed some alcohol.

Swiftly, he moved further into the living room, but he wasn't in the mood to read or listen to music. Not yet. Perhaps later, when he had settled his restless mind a bit. Though he doubted that was possible. So he just moved on and upstairs, straight to his bedroom. He hadn't spent much time here in the time between meeting his Babe and the day she had temporarily moved into his 7th floor apartment over at his RangeMan building. The house was too big, too empty and a notch too far away from his Babe's apartment. He just needed too long to get to her, should anything happen. And by God, it often enough happened something. So he had stayed mostly in his apartment in town. But then she moved in there, filled the place with her presence, made it alive like it never had been before. Not to mention how wonderful it had felt to come home to her, to see her sleeping safe and peacefully in his bed, to smell his shower gel on her…

He hadn't been able to spend one single night back at his apartment since she had left it. In fact, he hadn't entered it since then. If he needed a quick shower he used the common shower in the fourth floor. If he needed more clothes he brought them from here. No one had ever commented on it, not even Tank with his big mouth. Probably, they just shook their head at how pathetic he acted.

Tired of his thoughts, he entered his bedroom and froze for a heartbeat. In the next he went for his gun, but he barely had gotten it out and started to aim when an iron grip clamped over his hand and a hard kick sent it flying out of his hand. Acting on instinct years of training had given him, Ranger moved to kick his attacker and a stifled sound told him he had gotten a good one in. He used the gained advantage to free his arm in a forceful turn of his body, only to spin with another kick at his foe's neck. His kick though got blocked and the force threw him onto the floor. Quickly, he rolled away to escape the foot heading for his chest, grabbed it and twisted it as hard as he could. The intruder went down and Ranger moved swiftly to pin him down with an elbow against his windpipe, while he held the other's arms secured with his free arm. He hadn't had a chance to secure the attacker's legs though and they gave him a strong enough kick into his middle that he had to let his attacker go. Both of them jumped up and Ranger only had seconds before the other barreled in on him, swinging at him in fast moves. Ranger blocked most of the swings, though a few still got through his defense. Clenching his teeth together, he dove under two blows, swirled and let his hand crash against the back of his foe, then turned more to let a kick follow his hand before he moved in to finish his attack with a hard blow onto the other's neck. But just before the edge of his hand connected, the enemy grabbed the hand, twisted it so that Ranger had to give away in order to prevent it from getting broken and he got slammed hard against the wall, pinned. Ranger was already starting to free himself when a cold blade against his throat stilled his every movement.

"Not bad, Manoso," his attacker said, leaning in, entrapping his body even further. and chuckled. "Not bad at all."

* * *

_Translations:_

_Qué?! ¡Entonces encuéntrelo usted perdedors stupidos! ¡Y no se atreve regresar antes usted hace! - _

_What?! Then find him you stupid losers! And don't dare to come back before you do!_

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Ah, ah, ah... No need to scream in frustration. The next chapter will soon follow. Monday I think. Am I not nice? And it will be even the last chapter of the old ones I think and then we're coming to the real new chapters! Hope you enjoyed it and guys, seriously, thank you all for all those wonderful reviews! I just love them!)_


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

At the words of his attacker, Ranger felt the rage boiling inside him but he kept a firm grip on it. Rule number one: Never act on emotions. Emotions get you killed. So he stayed immobile, careful of the knife at his throat. He had no doubt that the other wouldn't hesitate to kill him. Had the other wanted him dead, he would be dead right now, not a feeling he appreciated too much. But he was still alive, so he guessed the guy wanted something from him after all. And he was not kidding himself.

Interesting.

"Likewise," he answered, forcing himself to relax against the wall.

No, it really wasn't bad at all. So far no one had ever been able to break into this place. Some came over the fence, yeah, but never into his house. And so far, very few people had managed to sneak up on him like that – or pin him down like that for that matter.

Very interesting.

"It was a challenge."

Ranger felt as the other shifted his weight lightly, though not enough for him to do something. Light flooded his bedroom, finding McParrish's green eyes only inches away from his. Not that Ranger was surprised. He had recognized the voice the moment he had spoken.

"But I like a good challenge." McParrish's eyes had an amused shimmer in them.

Knife still steady at Ranger's throat, McParrish reached behind himself with his free hand and a nice Sig Sour lay in it when he drew his hand back. Slowly, McParrish pulled away from him to stand back a few steps and he flipped the knife close.

Ranger stayed where he was, one eye keeping the gun trained onto his heart in sight. "Any special reason for your visit?"

McParrish smiled. "I could think of several. But mostly I just wanted to see if you are as good as I was told."

Slowly, Ranger crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I am."

"Aye, you are," McParrish nodded. "And I'm very pleased about that."

Ranger raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

"I also heard you're efficient. Don't lose time." McParrish smiled, but then turned serious, all trace of humor leaving his face and eyes. "I need your help."

Now wasn't that interesting? Ranger looked at the gun then to McParrish. "I don't make business at gun point," he pointed out calmly.

"No?" McParrish raised an eyebrow. "And if I don't trust you enough to put up the gun?" he asked, curiously.

Ranger shrugged. "Shoot or leave."

For a moment, McParrish searched Ranger's eyes and then nodded. "You know, Manoso, I'm starting to like you," he said with a small smile and put up his gun, placing it back to where he had taken it from.

Ranger pushed away and walked over to his own glock and pushed it into the small of his back also. He motioned to the door. "After you," he said, ignoring McParrish's comment.

Again McParrish locked eyes with him for a few seconds before he slowly walked to the door, exposing his back to Ranger. Too bad. Ranger would have loved to have a reason to just shoot the guy and kick him out of his house. McParrish never hesitated while he led the way to Ranger's office, confirming Ranger's suspicion that McParrish had had also quite some time to look around before Ranger had gotten home. Or he had somehow gotten a correct blueprint of his house. Whatever it was, he would have to search for this leak. It was unacceptable that someone had such an easy time breaking in here.

Once in his office, Ranger nodded to the chair in front of his desk while he moved over to his own chair behind the desk. He sat up and told the computer to give him a report on how McParrish had been able to break in. Finally, he leaned back in his chair and faced McParrish.

McParrish was unfazed by Ranger's delay tactics. Actually, he seemed to be mostly amused. "You'll find that I came through the gates," he said.

Ranger didn't move a muscle.

Sensing that it was high time to get down to business, McParrish turned all serious. "I got word that you're running me."

Ranger still said nothing.

"So you'll have found out that I have a clean file, am a war photographer and have no family ties," McParrish said. "And I assume you also don't believe a word in this file."

"No," Ranger agreed.

"And you'd be right. Partly." For the first time, McParrish looked away. "You know the drill, Manoso. I know you want to know more, but I simply can't. So I hope it's enough if I tell you that I _am_ a war photographer – but I'm not just taking pictures when I'm on assignment."

Now Ranger raised an eyebrow, his eyes piercing McParrish's profile. The Irish man was right: Ranger knew the drill – and he also knew that McParrish had just given him more information than someone in his position should. He had told him basically that he was an agent and doing cover ops for the government. This alone could mean immediate elimination in some of these groups. Ranger wasn't sure which branch this man worked for. There were quite a few, some known to the public, some not. He had a hunch that McParrish fell into the second category, which would make more sense. Ranger's network reached pretty deep so if McParrish was working for a first category organization he would have known it by now.

"I see," Ranger said with a nod. "What I can't see is what you want from me."

McParrish looked back to him. "It says in your file that you sometime take on jobs for the government. I'd like to hire you."

Well, that wasn't so much of a surprise. If McParrish had a job to do here in Trenton it was logic to search for help with locals who can be trusted. Plus, RangeMan had excellent employees with expertise on almost every field in this business. Some of his men even were former agents of sorts, though most were ex-army. Agents like McParrish usually operated alone or in a small team. If they needed more manpower RangeMan often provided them with it – to a very lucrative price of course. No, Ranger wasn't surprised that McParrish was searching for help for whatever was about to go down here in Trenton. What _did_ surprise him though was that he had gone to the trouble to actually come here instead of just coming to RangeMan. Of course, if he had run Ranger, and he was sure McParrish had done that, then the Irish would have also found out that he was close to Steph and that for sure would explain why McParrish seemed to have a personal interest in him.

Ranger leaned forward and put his elbows on his desk, fingertips pressed at each other, and looked at the other man. "I need to know more."

"And if I don't want to tell you more before you accept?" McParrish asked.

"Then you know the way out," Ranger said, matter-of-factly. "But I'm getting tired of your little tests. Either say what you want or leave."

McParrish gave a short laugh. "I see why Nisha likes you so much." The smile that had formed at the mention of Steph died as fast as it had come. "Very well then. I'm coming to you because I have reason to believe that people I'm working with and thought I could trust them implicitly may be traitors. I can't trust them anymore, but I can't do this alone." His eyes were iron hard by now and Ranger finally understood why this guy had even Tank spooked. "You have a good reputation, you have a good network and excellent men at hand."

True. "Say I agree to help you: What do you expect RangeMan to do?"

"Help me find proof of the treason and bring the traitors down. If I'm right then he or they have sold me and the people I love out to my enemies and one of them is here in Trenton. I think he's the one who tried to kill Nisha today over at this Italian place. I need to find him and fast. I'm not familiar with the area. You are." He paused for a moment to lock eyes with Ranger. "You already have men on my wife, Manoso. I assume I'm right when I think you'll help me protect and save her. She needs protection 24/7 until I have dealt with my enemies, and I'd feel better if you can also provide security for her family."

Averting his eyes, Ranger leaned back, thinking. They both knew that he would agree to work with him, even though he didn't like the settings. It always got messy if you had to meddle with something internal. And from what he had been able to see in McParrish eyes these traitor or traitors were also people he had considered as his friends. Perhaps even a partner. Such complications could always lead to disaster – and the death of his men. It didn't matter that each and every one of his men, Ranger included, was prepared to die. When Ranger had founded this business he had also promised himself that personal losses were unacceptable. They had had enough of them while serving. So he stayed away from suicide missions and usually only accepted jobs he was pretty sure he could get his men through alive.

But this was about his Babe. And regardless of her being McParrish's wife, like the Irish was very careful to point out time and time again, or not, Ranger would do and risk everything for her safety.

Ranger sighed inwardly. He wouldn't look forward to work with McParrish. He respected the guy. His gut told him that he could even like McParrish. But he hated him for claiming his Babe for himself. And he feared him because he sensed that he could even do what so far no one had managed: Take his Babe out of Ranger's life.

He turned back to McParrish who had waited patiently for Ranger to come to terms with his job offer. "Why trust me?"

McParrish smiled. "You have a good reputation that I got confirmed from various sides."

Ranger waited. They both knew that wasn't it. And even though Ranger thought he knew what the final reason for McParrish turning to him was, he still wanted to hear it from him.

"You're right," McParrish gave a slight nod and met Ranger's gaze openly. "What brought me here are two things. One, the way you look at my wife."

It took Ranger years of training to not react to McParrish's words and remain silent.

"And second and foremost: Nisha trusts you implicitly," McParrish smiled. "She has good instincts, but you already know that. I trust her. You won't let her get hurt, of that I can be certain. And this is exactly what I need right now."

Ranger didn't say anything. What could he say? McParrish had spoken the simple truth. Instead, he sat up to activate all his systems.

"RangeMan's services are very expensive," he mentioned. Not that it mattered, but he was a businessman after all and wouldn't skip on a good opportunity.

McParrish shrugged. "That's not an issue."

Ranger nodded. "Let's start," he simply said.

* * *

Trying desperately to finally fall asleep, Steph flopped onto her stomach as she had done that perhaps already a few dozens times since going to bed.

Moments ticked by.

Ugh!

Exasperated, Steph turned again and sat up, pulling her knees up. Finding out that her dead husband was in fact very much alive was a real damper on sleep. She sighed and rested her chin on her knees, thinking. Not that she had done anything else but thinking since she had left her parent's home.

God, she needed someone to talk to!

Growling, she reached over to her nightstand to grab her cell and pushed speed dial.

It only took two rings. "Steph?"

Yeah! She had just known Mary Lou would be still awake. "Yeah."

For a moment it was silent.

"So…" Mary Lou said.

"Yeah," Steph sighed.

"He's alive, huh?" Mary Lou continued after another silent moment.

"Yeah," Steph sighed again.

"And what are his excuses?" Mary Lou asked, a bit more sharply.

Steph shook her head. "That's a long, long story." Then she changed the topic. "Are Lenny and the boys all right?"

"Yeah, Thank God. At first they were a bit shaken of course. Now the boys can't wait to go to school tomorrow," Mary Lou answered amused.

Steph grinned. "One gotta have love the Burg."

"You can say that out loud," Mary Lou replied and Steph could just hear the matching grin in her voice.

They fell into silence again. "You have some time?" Steph asked finally.

"Sure, honey. The diner?" Mary Lou simply said.

Steph nodded. "Be there in fifteen."

"See you there."

* * *

Like she had promised, Steph was over at the diner at the Hevingston Crossing in fifteen minutes. When she entered it she saw Mary Lou already sitting in a secluded booth, stirring a large cup of coffee. Steph slid in across from her with a small, thankful smile to her friend. But before she even had a chance to say 'Hi', Berta, the sixty and something old waitress that worked the night shift as long as Steph could remember, came over to ask what she wanted. She ordered a coffee and a lemon pie.

Berta brought Steph her order not two minutes later and finally the two friends were alone.

Mary Lou leaned back, looking closely at her best friend. "So, what were his excuses?"

Steph sighed and shrugged. "To make it short: first he was really unable to return for a year or so… And the rest of the years he thought I was still married happily to the Dick."

With a shake of her head, Mary Lou snorted. "Lame." She waited a moment. "You haven't already forgiven him, have you?"

But Steph avoided her sharp gaze. "It's not so easy 'Lou. He… there were some pretty good reasons why he came to believe this nonsense."

"And already he has you wrapped around his finger again," Mary Lou said with a sigh. "Steph, if he really would have loved you, then he would never have let you believe he's dead all these years. If you've meant anything to him at all, then he should have come the minute he got back, no matter if he thought you happy or not. It's the least you deserved."

Steph would still not meet her friend's eyes. Mary Lou knew a lot about Pat – but not of his real work. Yet, she secretly thought that Mary Lou had a very good point there – she had the same thought herself since Pat had gotten back.

"Perhaps. Maybe. But…" Her voice trailed off.

For a while the two friends were silent.

"Is it true you two are still married Steph?" Mary Lou finally broke the silence, changing the topic slightly.

Steph gave a laugh that sounded dangerously close to a sob to her ears. "Looks like."

Mary Lou sighed. "I feared so. I guess his return from death makes you his wife again, huh?"

Steph nodded, looking down. "We never got divorced after all."

Again the two were silent for a while, while Steph started to eat her lemon pie.

"What will you do now?" Mary Lou asked finally, not able to hold her curiosity back any longer.

Stopping the next forkful on its way to her mouth, Steph slowly put the fork down and sat back with a sigh. "I honestly don't know, 'Lou."

"I guess I don't have to ask what Pat wants, huh," Mary Lou asked sarcastically.

Steph shook her head. "He wants me back."

Mary Lou nodded. She hadn't expected it any other way. "So it comes down to the question if you want him back or not," she brought it to a point.

Steph's eyes flickered to her friend and away again. "I guess so."

"And?" Mary Lou probed.

"I don't know!" Steph flared up and she glared at Mary Lou. "God, I barely can believe he's back, alive… I've loved him so much, still do, but…" She broke off and shook her head. "His death was the worst thing I've ever went through, only followed by the loss of Brianna and it changed me… Then the thing with Dickie came and I changed some more. _Then_ I started bounty hunting and things started to really change. What if Pat doesn't love the new me as much? And Pat must have changed as well. What if _I_ don't love him enough anymore?"

She broke off and shook her head angrily. "I do love him… how could I not? And it feels so good to be in his arms again, to have him close after all these years… we talked and sometimes it felt like those seven years never happened. My body still sure wants him." She bit her lip and looked down. "And then those seven years are suddenly standing between us again like a big, deep gape and it's hard to believe we can ever manage to bridge this gap."

Mary Lou's heart went out to her friend and she reached over to take Steph's hand in hers. "It must be one hell of a tough situation for you," she said quietly.

Steph laughed and nodded, but said nothing.

"I know you think he was the love of your life, Stephie, but please… before you jump head over into a relationship with Pat again, think about what he has done to you." Mary Lou hated to play the devil's advocate, but Pat's supposedly death had nearly destroyed Steph and surely had broken her heart. She just couldn't watch it happen all over again.

For a moment Steph stared at her, not sure if she should be angry on Pat's account or touched by her best friend's worry. Finally, she shook her head. "I know you never liked him that much..."

"You can say that out loud. That man had way too many dubious parts in his life!" Mary Lou agreed full heartedly.

Steph wisely ignored her objection. "But please, no matter what you think, he loves me, 'Lou. More than life itself. Of that I never had a single doubt - still haven't. Pat may have acted wrong when he finally got back but he still did it because he thought it was the best thing for me. To protect me, my heart, my happiness."

Mary Lou snorted.

With a frown Steph squeezed Mary Lou's hand. "No, it is true. And believe it or not, but his decision to stay away from me was as hard for him if not harder as for me to keep believing him dead. He thought I was happy and resigned himself to a miserable life – out of love to me."

Mary Lou rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I see he didn't waste any time to use his Irish tongue on you – and it worked, didn't it?"

Offended, Steph shook her head and drew her hand back. "You haven't seen the pain in his eyes, 'Lou. You haven't heard the loneliness in his voice."

With a sigh, Mary Lou shook her head too. "Look, Steph, I admit I'm not his biggest fan – never was. But I know he's basically a good guy – more or less. But he still broke your heart seven years ago and I don't want to see him breaking it again."

Suddenly, Steph's eyes burned. She quickly looked down. "Thanks, 'Lou. I appreciate this. But there are things you don't have any power over it - nor me for that matter," she added in a whisper.

"Still don't have to like it though, do I?" Mary Lou retorted, stubborn. "And you, you don't have to expose your inner most to him again."

"Has it occurred to you that I don't want to hurt him either? I _do_ love him," Steph asked her softly. She waited for a moment. "I took him home to dinner tonight," she added, casually.

Mary Lou raised her eyebrows in surprise. "And?"

"Well, we came out of it alive," Steph said, only half joking. There had been a few moment she really had feared for Pat a bit. "Turned out Dad knew all about us. Even about Brianna." She shuddered. "That was one long talk we had with Mom and Dad."

Mary Lou couldn't help but giggle. She would bet on that! But then she turned serious again. "So you told him about the baby?"

"I had to," Steph whispered.

Again, Mary Lou's heart flew out to her friend. She hadn't known herself about Steph's miscarriage until a few years later when it had broken out of Steph during a girl's night out. And only the obvious pain of Steph had stopped her from being totally furious with her best friend that she hadn't allowed her to be there for Steph through it all. "How he'd take it?"

"Hard," Steph said, not elaborating on it. She didn't dare to. She didn't want to break out into bawls here and have it spread all over the Burg by tomorrow morning.

Mary Lou wisely let the topic drop and instead asked the one thing she was sure would bring Steph back from her pained thoughts. "What about Ranger?"

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Like promised, here another chapter. And not the last one of the old ones after all, as I've noticed. Well, the new parts still will come soon enough. In the meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed this one as well. Thanks for the wonderful reviews and of course it had been Pat! Who else?"_


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Does the name Oswald Bauer ring any bells?"

Ranger looked up at McParrish and leaned back in his chair. "Like a new years concert. He's our target?" God, he hoped not. He didn't want his Babe anywhere near that man.

However, McParrish nodded. "What do you know about him?"

For a moment, Ranger racked his brain to gather everything together he knew about Bauer. "Born 63' in East-Germany. Military family and bringing up, followed by military training, special op's and rumored to have been an eager student for two years in China. At the age of twenty-nine he decided to leave any services and go freelancer. After five years he had earned enough money to start his own business and network. Currently one of the ten most wanted men on earth. Last time I checked he was on place six. His business is death. By now he doesn't have to do the contracts himself anymore, but whatever he deals in means death for a lot of people. Be it weaponry, drugs or Intel. He has connections to almost every family of the business, to at least four more of the list of the top tens and also to several terrorist groups, the Al-Kaida and only one of them. He's in the business for almost thirty years now; that means basically that he's deadly dangerous and knows how to keep a low profile. Last thing I heard was that he's hiking in the Ural. _Not_ one of the persons I want to know of my Babe."

McParrish met his eyes. "We agree on that point. You're information are pretty accurate. Though he's not in the Ural anymore. I'm afraid he's right here in Trenton."

Ranger digested this news. "You think he was the one behind the shoot out," he stated. "Unlikely. There would be deaths then. And if Steph had been the target she sure wouldn't be safe in her bed right now."

"Not if he only wanted to send me a little warning. Besides, it hasn't been him who did the shooting. He probably hired some local thugs to do that. Which I want you to find by the way. But according to my source Bauer landed exactly two hours and 54 minutes ago, not only on American soil, but right here in New Jersey. Over at the little airfield three miles out of Trenton," McParrish reported.

"And you trust this source?" Ranger asked.

McParrish shrugged. "So far it hadn't failed me. So yeah, I trust the Intel. Besides, I already got it confirmed by two other sources."

Slightly annoyed that McParrish hadn't told that right from the beginning he gave him an appropriate glare for that. Then though he turned his thoughts back to Bauer. It was quite a risk for him to come here to the U.S.A. as he'd be arrested immediately and thrown into some deep dark hole from where he'd hardly be able to come out of alive. Regardless of all the human rights, despite of any conventions made in Geneva, there were still persons who were simply dealt with in order to keep humanity safe. As a soldier who had fought on many fronts and had spilled a lot of blood for the American citizens Ranger wasn't opposed to that idea. Truth was that he himself had already had to deal with a few of these persons. And it wasn't those kills that gave him nightmares.

Thoughtfully, he gazed at McParrish. "Bauer must have a few damn good reasons to come here and risk arrest. Somehow I have trouble that you can mean so much to him."

The Irish gave Ranger a humorless smile. "Oh, I have no doubt that Bauer has several business deals to make as well. He's efficient and practical. Mostly though he's here because he wants to take revenge on me – personally. And now that he found out about Nisha, he has the perfect instrument for that."

Ranger raised an eyebrow. "And why would he be so interested in any revenge against you?"

But McParrish shook his head. "That's confidential. Let's just say that we know each other for a long time now and he feels betrayed by me. And that I was close enough to him that it got personal."

_Joder_.

That wasn't good at all. If you had a man like Bower as your enemy it was bad. You had him out on revenge at you it was a damn Armageddon. And once again his Babe was caught right in the middle of it. Just how did she manage to do that time and time again? Alone the thought of her falling into Bauer's hands made Ranger's heart squeeze painfully in cold dread.

That simply couldn't happen.

Mostly though, in order to protect her, he needed to keep a clear head. And to get this mission over as fast as possible. He sat forward. "You mentioned traitors. Have you any suspects?"

McParrish's features darkened. "More or less the whole team could be dirty, though I doubt that. Over the last years, there had been several ops that went FUBAR. Not enough to send up any red flags or get in serious trouble with the brass – but still troublesome. There wasn't any pattern though, so it was hard to connect the different failures. Lately though I started to wonder. Now I have no doubt that there's a mole."

"Why?" Ranger wanted to know.

McParrish's answer was softly spoken. "Nisha."

Shit, that was what Ranger had feared.

"In my file Nisha is listed as my wife, but nothing more. No maiden name, no real name, no address, nothing. It is a procedure we follow in order to protect our families. Only two more people of the team are allowed to know the truth of our close ones. And there are encoded files, buried deep in the system, that are so well hidden and coded in inconspicuous things that no one would notice that he has the most valuable information in his hand. Really," McParrish assured when he saw Ranger's doubtful expression. "So when my file had been breached the hacker shouldn't have had the slightest idea how to find Nisha. Yet, Bauer found her."

Hmm… Not a bad system to protect the families. The problem was just that it could never be a hundred per cent sure. That Ranger knew only too well. And it was ultimately what kept him from being with his Babe. But now was not the time to muse about that.

Ranger met McParrish's eyes. "So who of your team knew about Steph?"

A shadow cast over McParrish's face. "My boss, Jeremiah Felton, who I respect like a father, and my partner Kevin O'Brian, who I loved like a brother – and who has been killed in action three months ago."

Ranger contemplated that. "Was your partner tortured?"

"No." And the firm set of McParrish's jaw spoke clearly that he wasn't about to give more details than that.

Well, if it had been Tank Ranger wouldn't want to give more away either.

"You think he was the one who ratted you out?" He still had to ask though.

The green eyes chilled. "Never," he answered flatly.

For a moment, Ranger held McParrish's furious gaze and then nodded. He believed him. But then, partners always were a tricky thing.

"Besides, the timing is all wrong," McParrish added after he took a deep breath.

Ranger raised an eyebrow.

"My file hasn't been breached until the day before yesterday," the other man elaborated.

Shit, that was fast. "And not twenty four hours later there had been an attempt on Steph's life, supposedly she really had been the target."

"Oh she had," McParrish muttered darkly. "If I hadn't been fast enough to get her out of the line, she'd be dead now. The bullets will confirm that."

Yeah, they had. As well as Tank who had told him the same thing. And it still made Ranger's heart miss a few beats whenever he allowed himself to think about it.

"Not to forget that less than forty-eight hours later Bauer is back on US soil, Trenton even," McParrish reminded.

Ranger gave another slow nod. "So it's Felton."

Looking unhappy, McParrish nodded. "I'm afraid so. Especially after some things that Nisha told me about the time after my – our separation."

Ranger burnt to know what McParrish had been about to say before he had stopped himself. Something told him that whatever it was, it was a large point in his Babe's life. A life he apparently didn't know as well as he had thought. But he also knew that it would be futile to try to get it out of McParrish.

"What things?" he still inquired though. Perhaps that would give him some leads to work with.

But McParrish shrugged. "Just some things that don't correspond to official procedure – or to what Felton had told me." He sighed. "But I still can't understand why he'd rat me out. Rat my wife out."

Ranger shrugged. "Money's always a good motive in such cases."

Again McParrish shook his head. "Doubt it. Comes from a rich family, married into an even richer family."

Interesting. And unusual for people with that kind of a job. Most of them hadn't much money – or came from a distinguished family. "Still doesn't exclude it. He could have had a bad series of luck."

"For the past seven years?" McParrish voiced his doubts.

"Or someone threatened his family," Ranger continued to suggest.

The green eyes opposite him got hard. "Or he's just not the man I thought he is, who betrayed me, Nisha and this country just because he's been a double agent right from the very beginning," McParrish countered coldly.

Ranger nodded. "Or that."

Silence filled the room until McParrish sighed. "In the end it doesn't matter. But Felton has to be stopped. And I'll need proof to have something to give our superiors in order to save my ass. I'll work on that angle. You, I want to search for the ones that did the shoot out. It has been sloppy work and unbelievable stupid, so I think you won't have too much problem to do that. Plus, we need to find Bauer's location for his stay here in Trenton. I'll work through my contacts, but it's very possible that you have better recourses to get this information."

If Ranger hated one thing, then it was to be told minutely what to do. It was one of the reasons why he had left the army and worked as a free lancer. On the other hand it was McParrish that had hired him for this. Still… the guy could be lucky that so far he had had reasonable orders for Ranger. And that his Babe's life was at stake.

"And Manoso?"

Frowning, Ranger looked at McParrish.

The agent gave him a stern look. "No solo tours. I want to be informed about every step of your investigation. Furthermore, you won't do anything without first running it by me. Especially if you find Bauer. _I_'m the one in charge."

Now it was Ranger's turn to give an icy glare. But before he could give a clipped response, his cell phone rang. He had it open and at his ear in the break of a second. It was Hal. "Yo."

"Sir, the Bombshell just left her apartment."

Now? Ranger threw a glance at the clock on the wall. It was just past three a clock. Where would she want to go at this hour?

"Ok, stay on her."

McParrish raised an eyebrow. To hell with him. He'd have to wait.

"Yes, Sir, we wanted to. There just occurred a small problem," Hal hesitantly admitted.

Alarmed, Ranger straightened. He feared what this small problem could be. It was almost never small as soon as his Babe was involved.

When he said nothing, Hal continued his report. "We were just about to follow her when we noticed a black Saurus without light pulling in. Three masked men got out of it and are right now entering the Bombshell's building. We assume they're headed for her apartment."

Fuck.

Of course he could split up Hal and Cal, but one against three with unknown training? He looked at McParrish. "Steph left her apartment a few minutes ago. And just missed a commando of three masked men heading her way."

McParrish got up immediately, reaching for his jacket. "How fast can we be there? Twelve minutes?"

For that that the guy had only been in Trenton for a short time, he sure had a pretty accurate take on the distances. Ranger nodded. It was a considerable long time to get there, especially if they were pros. But they still were the closest.

"I'm on my way. Stay on Steph," he ordered Hal.

"Yes, Sir."

The line disconnected and Ranger grabbed his own jacket and keys. More weapons would be in the car.

Neither of the two men spoke a word as they hurried down to the garage. Not a minute later they were speeding away from Ranger's grounds. The silence stretched in the car for several minutes.

"You love her, don't you, Manoso?" McParrish finally broke the silence.

Ranger didn't even bother to glance at him, let alone offer any response.

McParrish chuckled. "Oh well, just keep your silence. I can see it anyway, pal."

Ranger fought hard to not grind his teeth. He had no intention to give that man any indications – or satisfaction.

Yet, McParrish apparently didn't want to leave it alone. "There's one thing though I wonder about: you're a man of action, as much is obvious. So why aren't you together with her right now?"

Because he was the idiot of the millennia? Not that he was going to tell _that_ McParrish.

"Come on. I'm trying to find out how Nisha spent the past few years. How her life had been. And of course I have a natural interest in her love life," McParrish good-humoredly said.

Finally, Ranger flickered a glance at him. "She hears you talking like that, she'll have your balls. Again," he added with not just a little, petty gloat.

Instead of being affronted though, McParrish just laughed out loud. "That she would indeed. But that's just the fun in it, no?"

Damn. Ranger started to like the guy.

"So spill it. I promise I won't tell her that you talked out of the closet," McParrish tried to convince him.

When Ranger remained silent, he shook his head in exasperation. "Ok, pal, then all I can do is guess: another man?"

As he got the feeling that McParrish wouldn't let it rest, Ranger finally succumbed to the interrogation a bit. "For the past two years she's been in a relationship with Morelli."

"Morelli? The choo-choo-boy? The Tasty Pastry guy?" McParrish laughed, but then frowned. "Wasn't he the cop who questioned me? Ah, that explains a few things." Then he sighed. "But you don't want to tell me that he was the reason for you to stay away, do you? We both know that it could never have been serious between Nisha and Morelli. Too much of bad history. And he's from the Burg. Nisha will never be Burg material. I bet their relationship had been like oil and water."

True enough. And Ranger liked not one of McParrish's words. This guy knew his Babe way too much for his liking. Worse, each word implied how very much he _didn't_ want his Babe to change, just loving and accepting her the unique way she was. _So_ not good for his own chances with his Babe. So in order to avoid any more questions he asked one of his own, even though it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Why do you call her Nisha?" he asked and glanced at McParrish to see his reaction to the question.

McParrish smiled softly. "It's short for Anisha. It means constant. Steady. From the moment I met her she became the first and only constant thing in my life. And I knew after our first kiss that she was what I wanted in life and I gave her that alias already, sure she'd need it in no time. I knew that our relationship, our love, would be steady through all the high waters that my job would bring along. So Nisha it was."

_Joder_, Ranger thought, while his heart clenched in almost unbearable pain. He felt McParrish's eyes on him and risked another glance at him, only to see him looking thoughtfully at him.

"Don't get me wrong, Manoso: I consider myself lucky that out of some reason you refused to give in to your feelings for Nisha. I know that otherwise I probably would have lost her forever. I'm just curious to what circumstance I owe that luck," McParrish very softly said.

Ranger felt more and more like the big, losing idiot. Not that he let any of his emotions be shown.

"Nor do I have a grudge against you because you're in love with my wife," McParrish continued. "How could I? I of all men should know best just how irresistible her charm is. And actually, your feelings for her are admittedly very handy at the moment. This way I know for sure that you'll do everything in your power to protect her, keep her safe."

This guy definitely knew way too much, that was for sure. And this annoying fact aside, Ranger certainly hated where this conversation was going to.

Sure enough, just as Ranger slowed down to pull into his Babe's parking lot, McParrish had one more thing to say.

"Yet, you should know one thing: Now that I've found Nisha again, I won't leave her ever again. She's my wife. And I'll do everything in my power to keep it that way," McParrish said evenly, making the warning in his voice all the more unmistakable.

This time, Ranger couldn't stop himself from clenching his jaw and grinded his teeth. He had already figured out as much. But the really painful thing was that Ranger had the very bad hunch that his Babe would indeed cease to be his Babe – to be solely McParrish's Nisha.

And this fear was nearly tearing his heart apart.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: I can't let you wait any longer for the new chapter, now, can't I? Not after all the wonderful reviews you guys still spoil me with! Hope you liked this new little bit as well!)_


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

As soon as they were out of the car, all that counted anymore was the job though. That was their job. That was how they survived.

McParrish let Ranger take the lead, wordlessly admitting that he probably was more familiar with the settings of Steph's apartment. Though Ranger was convinced that McParrish had checked out his Babe's apartment first thing. It was what he would have done. And it looked as they had a similar MO of dealing with the likes of a Bauer. Hell, they loved the same woman. He signaled McParrish to go through the front door, while he quickly made his way over to the back of the building – and the fire escape. A nightmare on security – but unfortunately a necessity. At least for a building like Steph's. He had given McParrish two minutes. After ninety seconds he had climbed the escape up to Steph's bedroom window.

Her _open_ bedroom window.

Dios, his Babe was such a walking security risk… Ranger shook his head, while he took position to enter. And he had thought that after all the mess with Ramirez she had gotten wiser than to leave any would-be burglar, kidnapper, rapist, murderer or whoever else such an easy access into her apartment. Not that the front door was much better.

_Anyone_ could break that ridiculous lock she had on her door.

Of course, to be fair, there was the slight possibility that the commando team had opened the windows – but he doubted it strongly. He knew his Babe after all. The night was warm, she had a lot to think about – hence an open window.

He threw a quick glance onto his watch, not that he really needed it: he was counting the seconds in his head.

108,109.

Swiftly, Ranger draw his PSS and released the security.

112,113.

So far he hadn't seen any sign of the commando. Perhaps they were already too late. They had seen his Babe wasn't home and had gone again.

115,116.

But he doubted it. Logically, they now waited in the dark for her, ready to drug her and take her with them. Or worse things.

118,119.

Not as long as there was any breath left in him.

120!

Silently, he slipped through the open door and quickly checked the blind corners on his right and left.

Free.

He moved towards the bathroom, peeked in.

Free.

That meant they were in the living room. He moved to the door, grabbed the doorknob.

In that moment he heard the front door bang open. So McParrish had waited until he thought he had proceeded as far as he had. Not exactly his orders – but a justified correction.

Ranger slammed his door open as well and made a fall, rolled and came up with the PSS trained on direction kitchen.

Light flared up and sure enough, the three masked men, cursing, moved out of their various hiding spots. One in the back of McParrish, who faced towards him, one, as he saw out of the eye corner, on his left, slightly behind him. And the third stood in the door of the kitchen. Forced to trust McParrish, Ranger left the enemy in his back to him while he took out the man in McParrish's back with a shot into his right shoulder.

A thud behind him.

Two down, one left. Ranger and McParrish turned simultaneously toward the kitchen. The man had retreated back into the kitchen. And had trapped himself. There was no other way out of the kitchen than that door. Ranger jumped onto his feet and nodded McParrish to proceed while he covered him by keeping an eye onto the two other men. McParrish gave a short nod back and vanished into the kitchen.

One shot. Not McParrish's Glock.

Fist connecting with flesh.

Groan.

Boot connecting with knee.

Fist connecting with skull.

Another groan and then another thud.

Thirty seconds later, McParrish dragged the unconscious man back into the living room. Ranger remained on his guard while the Irish had the three men secured tightly. Only then did Ranger relax his stance a little. He walked over to the man he had shot and removed the mask.

No one he knew or even recognized. He looked over to the now revealed faces of the other two men. Both still unconscious. Again no one he knew. Back to the guy in front of him.

The man stared at him wide-eyed and he could smell the guy's fear.

Good.

He pressed the barrel of his PSS right into the middle of the guy's forefront. "Talk," he said, casually, his eyes talking business though.

The man's eyes widened, but he didn't utter anything, not even a peep.

Ranger increased the pressure so that the man was forced to look up at him.

"Talk," he repeated, his voice growing colder.

This time, the guy shivered. Apparently he wasn't as stupid as to not know a deadly threat when he saw it. Well, heard it. Whatever. Yet, his fear of someone else seemed to be dominant.

Hmm.

Ranger looked at McParrish. For a moment, the agent looked at the men in front of him, before he moved to stand beside Ranger. He bowed down, laid a hand on the guy's cheek and moved to whisper something into the guy's ear. The shivers grew more violent and the eyes got even bigger and wider. Whatever McParrish had told that guy, it seemed to work.

"He'll kill me!"

Ranger shrugged. "You're dead anyway. You signed your death certificate the moment you picked the wrong apartment and definitely the wrong woman to intrude on. The only option you have left now is to die quickly – or slowly."

The guy shook his head, whimpered.

What a loser. And Ranger let some of his disgust show in his eyes. He nodded to McParrish. "Don't think even for a second that he's not as bad or even worse than Bauer."

Right on command, McParrish gave the guy a smile that wasn't nice at all. Lethal. McParrish nodded and produced a knife out of the sleeves of his jacket. And not just a little pocket knife: no, a big, scary looking hunting knife. Much like the one Ranger usually carried on his back while on a takedown. Instead of playing with the knife, or displaying it more, like most would have done, McParrish laid it simply onto the couch table in front of the guy. Making its presence a lot more real – and the danger it presented almost palpable.

"Who, after all, do you think taught me the rope?" McParrish commented lightly, relaxed.

If they had been alone, Ranger would have looked at McParrish, pondering. From what little he knew, this could just be the case. Sure was that he used techniques of easy, but effective interrogation that wasn't on the training plan for US agents. Ranger for sure hadn't learned it in boot camp for Special Ops. But he did catch it up as a prisoner in the gulf. Iraqi had very effective torture techniques.

"Let's start with a name," Ranger suggested.

The guy looked from one to the other then stuttered something Ranger couldn't make out. He frowned at him.

A gulp, and then the guy repeated his name, this time understandable. "Charlie Potter."

McParrish nodded to the two other men.

Another gulp. "Tony Walker," nod to unconscious guy, "Garret Phelps," nod to the third guy.

"Who hired you? Bauer?" Ranger asked.

Potter shook his head, vehemently. "No."

Slightly amount of pressure with the PSS. "Who?" Ranger repeated.

"Z…Zacharius," Potter stammered.

"Rufus Zacharius?" McParrish clarified.

Potter nodded.

Zacharius. Figured, Ranger mused. Zacharius had shown up in Trenton a good year before. Bringing a troupe of his own men with him, mostly brutes. Not very bright, but so many that soon, Trenton got a lot more unsafe than it had already been. As soon as Zacharius needed someone with a little more brain, he hired out. And if he did that, he only hired the top of the criminal crème de la crème. Because while his thugs were more or less brainless, Zacharius was one bright head – which made him highly dangerous.

Great. First Bauer, now Zacharius. This time, his Babe was in real deep shit.

Thanks to McParrish.

Ranger wished he could blame the guy.

"Zacharius is one of Bauer's protégées," McParrish said lowly to him, so only Ranger would understand it.

That was new. But it explained a lot of things about that ruthless bastard.

"I don't know any of you," Ranger told the pathetic thug.

Which could only mean that they were new – or only on a little 'business' trip here in Trenton. Ranger made sure that he knew the bad fellas of Trenton. It made his job a lot easier.

"We just arrived. From Philly," Potter admitted.

Ranger nodded and his eyes chilled. Alarmed, Potter tried to lean away from him and his gun. Not that Ranger let him. "Are you the stupid bastards responsible for the shoot out at Pino's?" he wanted to know, his voice low and flat.

Potter frowned. But his eyes flickered to his partners, nervous.

McParrish shortly touched his knife, then gave Potter another of those feral smiles.

"Some pizza place?" Potter asked, trembling.

"Bingo," McParrish said, his smile intensifying.

Gulp. Then a nod, hesitant and fearfully.

So these indeed had been the bastards who had tried to kill his Babe! It had been easier to find them than Ranger had thought.

"You tried to kill a woman then. Now you're in her apartment. What do you want here? Finish what you failed to do before?" The stealth in McParrish's voice could have cut through titanium.

Quickly, Potter shook his head. "Orders were to keep her alive."

"You aimed for her heart and head. You wanted to kill," McParrish corrected icily, leaning forward, the blade of the knife flashing.

"Zacharius had said to make it look real. Said that we should let another guy safe her…" Potter hurried to say, then shrugged. "She'd be dead if we had wanted it. She's not, isn't she?"

A muscle in McParrish's jaw clenched, but otherwise he had gone very still. Ranger too fought hard against the urge to release his rage. Everything in him wanted to pull that trigger and remove this sorry excuse of a son of a bitch from the face of earth. But he too held himself back.

Not yet.

"The problem is just, Charlie, that she happens to be my wife," McParrish quietly said and turned to take the knife. Potter's eyes grew wide with shock. He hadn't known that, as much was obvious. "And I don't tolerate even the slightest act against her. I'm sure you see that not only nearly shooting her, but now even lurk here in the darkness, waiting for her, to Heaven knew what to do to her, leaves me really no choice than to give you and your pals a little lesson: Don't mess with my wife."

"No! We didn't do anything to her. We wouldn't have!" Potter exclaimed, panicked, looking at Ranger for help, who only gave him his best cold smile back though.

In the blink of a second, McParrish was with the knife at Potter's throat, drawing blood. "Only because those were your orders. You tried to kill her. You tried to kidnap her. Bring her to Zacharius." He drew a little more blood. "To Bauer," he said flatly.

"Noooo, please!"

"Look at the bright side," McParrish smiled. "I'll still be kinder than your bosses." He stopped for a moment and gave Potter a look that made him squirm in fear. "At least for now."

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Ranger and McParrish froze, recognizing the voice only too well. They exchanged a look.

Oh, they were busted. _So_ truly busted and in suddenly very deep shit.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Finally! With this chapter we have come to the end of the old part at last, for those who remember this story from two years ago. Next chapter will be all new! I hope you enjoyed the ride so far and stay tuned for the next chapter. And as always, thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! They are the salt of my life!)_


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Please, Miss, don't let them kill me!" the man at knife and gun point from Ranger and Pat immediately whined, turning big, afraid, pleading eyes on Steph.

Ranger gave him a hard shove. "Shut up," he growled, lowly.

Involuntarily, Steph felt herself shivering. Ranger definitely was in his most dangerous mood. And he was angry, as much she could see. One look into Pat's hard and furious eyes and she could tell that he wasn't much better than Ranger – if not worse. Her eyes swept over her living room, taking in the two other guys, bound and gagged, already forming several bruises, and finally looked back to the bleeding guy her both men were – interrogating.

She did a double take. _Both_ her men? Now where had that come from? Sure, she could probably say in all honesty that Pat was definitely her man, hell, husband even, but Ranger? She held no hold or rights whatsoever over him.

_No, but you'd like to._

Frowning, Steph mused over that sudden thought for a moment, but then she pushed it away. Now was so not the time to contemplate her relationship – or lack thereof – with Ranger. There were two over protective men to deal with. Oh yeah, and those guys who obviously had broken into her apartment.

Again.

Tired of pretty much everything, she put her bag down and looked at the guy between Ranger and Pat. "Who are you?"

The guy wet his lips and shot his capturers a wary look. "Charlie Potter. I've got orders to bring you to my boss, Zacharius, but I swear, we weren't going to hurt you," he hurried to answer me. "Oh, and sorry for the shooting earlier on."

Her eyebrows shooting up, Steph almost had to suppress a smile. Boy, Pat and Ranger really must have done a number on him if he provided this much information without any probing. They didn't look too happy about his sharing mood though. Oh well, their problem. She for her part felt it refreshing to be in the loop for a change. Well, almost.

"And who's Zacharius?"

"A very dangerous and unpleasant guy you don't want anything to do with," Pat answered before the guy could. "He likes it rough with his women, regardless if they want it as well or not – or view themselves as his. But you'd want to meet his boss even less."

Steph looked him directly into the eyes, fighting down the sudden nausea. "And who would that be?"

Pat didn't offer a name. She narrowed her eyes. He still kept his silence.

"Oswald Bauer, Babe, and he's right: you don't want anything to do with either of them, but especially not with Bauer," Ranger told her quietly, earning a glare from Pat that would have made Steph wet her pants. Ranger though seemed to not notice it – or, more likely, simply ignore it. Or it could simply be that tough guys like him were immune against it.

He certainly was immune against her best Burg glare and Pat was no better in that department.

Ugh. Situation to deal with at hand, she reminded herself sternly and pushed her treacherous thoughts away.

She nodded her thanks to Ranger and thought this all over for a moment. "Is Felton working for Bauer?" she asked Pat finally.

Pat didn't look happy, but Ranger gave her the smallest of smiles. He was proud of her. Steph tried hard to ignore the happy flutter of her heart at his smile. Eventually, Pat gave a slow nod, albeit reluctantly. "I think so, but I've got no proof for that yet."

It was easy to see how much the thought of the man Pat looked up to as a father being a traitor pained him and while she never really had been that much of a fan of Felton, her heart went out to him. Part of her wanted nothing more than to take him into her arms and console her. Another part wanted to jump his bones and remind him that Felton didn't matter. _She_ was his family, his wife and all he'd really need. And if that wasn't enough, there was also a part of her who still wanted to just kick his stupid ass for being so unbelievable stupid. Still… She was well aware that most part of her just wanted him and nothing more.

Problem was that yet another part wanted to jump _Ranger's_ bones really bad as well. Plus, there was something in his dark eyes – defeat? She didn't like that look, despite everything, and a big part of her just wanted to reassure _him_ as much like she wanted to reassure Pat. Then again, what could she reassure him of? Like said, Ranger and her weren't a couple – or even heading that way.

She was Pat's wife though.

Oh hell…

"Look, I'm tired. Can't you just take this," she waved at the muscle men, "somewhere else so I can go to bed?" she suggested, wanting them just out of her sight. Perhaps, she miraculously would figure out what to do about all this if the main reasons for her momentary confusion wouldn't constantly be right under her nose.

Pat's eyes narrowed. "You can't still insist on staying here!"

Steph gave him her best Burg glare, seeing out of the corners of her eyes how Ranger had to suppress a smile that looked almost gleeful though and quickly included him into the glare. But of course, those idiots were completely unaffected. Unbelievable. Well, she could do stubborn as well. "This is my home. Of course I'm staying here."

"Damn it, Nisha, you've just had three guys breaking into your home to abduct you!" stupid Pat still argued though.

Steph glanced at the thugs then shrugged. "So what? It's not like they had a chance to touch me, let alone hurt me."

Ranger grinned at her answer but said nothing. Actually, it looked as if he was waiting to see what Pat decided to do in the end. Huh? "What is the deal with you two?" she demanded to know, her eyes sharp on them.

Suddenly, they were eager to avoid her eyes. That could only mean one thing. Shit. "Don't tell me you contracted _RangeMan_ to help you!" she gaped at Pat.

Pat looked back at her at last. "And if I have, what's the matter with that?"

Suddenly, Ranger looked mighty interested in her answer to that as well.

Which made the walls of her living room feeling like they were a lot closer than they should be. But could anyone blame her for that, with two men she cared about a lot, maybe even loved and were highly lethal to her everything staring at her like that, waiting intensely for an answer? Well, Steph didn't know what to say to that. She could hardly tell them that Pat shouldn't bother Ranger because there was something between them. Something that Steph had hoped would eventually progress to the point where she could convince Ranger to try out a relationship with her after all. Shit. She never had admitted this to herself and this revelation had to come upon her _now _of all times?

Damn it!

Thinking the best defense would be confrontation, she turned her glare towards Ranger, for what it was worth. "And you had nothing better to do than take this job on? Don't you have some third world country to invade?"

Ranger gave his equivalent of a shrug. His shoulders lifted maybe all of a millimeter. "Not at the moment. This pays better." His eyes bored into hers. "And is a far more important job."

Hot damn!

Steph's eyes slid from Ranger's dark and meaningful eyes over to Pat's slightly narrowed green eyes and felt panic rising while the walls crept closer another few feet.

_Now_ Ranger decided to apply some more pressure?

Okay – there was only one thing to do in such a situation. "You know what? You guys just do what you want. I'll be in my bedroom," she told them and made a beeline for her bedroom.

Pat opened his mouth as to protest again, but then he thought better of it and instead sighed. "All right. If that's how you want it." He looked at Ranger. "You take these guys with you. Find out where they were supposed to bring Nisha to. And see if they know Bauer's location, though I doubt that he'd let them know very much. I'll stay with Nisha."

Steph's steps faltered. Oh no. This was exactly what she couldn't need right now! But before she could even protest Pat looked at her, hard. "You either relocate or I'm staying here, Nisha. No discussion."

Oh really? Steph thought different. But once again she got interrupted even before she could get a word out, this time by Ranger. "He's right, Babe. You staying here alone is out of question. If you don't want to move back into my apartment for the time being, one of us stays with you." His tone didn't allow any protest.

Pat glanced at him at the mention of her staying with him again, but he didn't comment on it and turned back to Steph, nodding once. "Your choice, Steph."

She looked from one to the other and for just a tiny moment, she was tempted to take up Ranger on his offer. But that would just cause too much additional problems. Not to mention that it wouldn't be fair on either of them. So she threw up her arms and turned away. "Fine. Whatever. Cushions and covers are in the cupboard. Serve yourself." Thus said she marched into her room and slammed the door, leaning heavily against it.

This was so far away from being fine…

And worse – she doubted strongly that this closed door would be enough to keep Pat out of her bedroom – or her inside for that matter..

No. This was not good at all.

* * *

It took Pat a full hour to come into the bedroom. He padded through the dark room to close the windows. In her bed, Steph stayed silent, acting as if she was sleeping deeply, pretending to have no idea how dangerously close he was.

Almost. He was almost out of her room again.

But then he did the unavoidable that would doom them both. He stopped at her bedside and she could feel him gazing down on her.

Still, Steph tried hard to ignore the pull she could feel in her body in response to his gaze and fought to be completely still, her breathing even.

"I love you, Nisha. I love you so much. I'm tired of always fighting. I'm tired of always being alone. All I want is to come home at last, after all these years. Home to you, mo gradhàich," he said so softly she had to strain to understand him. And with so much desolation and longing that it went straight to her heart and into her soul. "I want to quit my job and settle down with you, here or wherever you want, and make love to you day in and day out. And I want us to have a baby again and this time, I'll be at your side the whole time, Nisha, and we're not going to lose it like we've lost Brianna. I want us to grow old and wrinkled together to die one day far in the future in peace, with our children and grandchildren around us." His voice broke a little at Brianna's name and Steph had to bite her lips to not cry out – or telling Pat to stop talking and kiss her already. "I just want us to be together again. Husband and wife, like it was supposed to be for all these years since we've parted. Like I'm sure it's our destiny. And I don't want to lose more precious time. Is that so wrong, mo gradhàich?"

With a sigh, Steph gave her pretense up and turned around to face him, his eyes green and shining intensely with his love for her, even in the room only lit with moonlight. For a long moment she stared into his eyes, while he waited, completely still, barely daring to breathe. And she made her decision – or at least a first decision. "No," she answered quietly, grabbed his shirt and pulled him down to her.

Pat didn't need any more invitation. In a flash, he was kissing her, devouring her, body, heart and soul.

"Thank you, Nisha. Taim i'ngra leat, mo gradhàich. Thank you," he whispered, just before he sank into her and she welcomed him home with open arms.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: And here is at last the first of the new chapters. I hope I didn't disappoint after the long wait for this chapter for some of you and I hope the Babes aren't ready to kill me now. Just always remember that I too am a Babe and am suffering with poor Ranger here, no matter how much I love Pat as well. More will come soon, until then: enjoy the wait!)_


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

'I need sugar', was the first thought coming to Steph's mind in the next morning, after the door had closed behind Pat, leaving for a meeting with Ranger.

Which on so many levels made Steph nervous. It wasn't that she thought that she'd made a mistake by making love to Pat the previous night. It had felt right and God, it had been incredible, far better than even in her memory. And she honestly couldn't imagine denying herself and Pat the pleasure but also peace that being together brought them.

But…

Being together with Pat definitely had made any memories of Morelli fade – but the memory of her night with Ranger was still very prominent in her mind. And though she knew that she could never have them both, she was deadly afraid of what Pat was going to say to Ranger. And even if he said nothing, Ranger was the Wizard… It was very much possible that he'd know it simply by looking at Pat. She couldn't know for sure what he'd do then but she was pretty sure it would ruin any chance they may have ever had.

Then again, why should she still hope for a chance with Ranger? She loved Pat, he was a wonderful man and she knew she was happy with him. He was the father of her child, no matter if Brianna hadn't been allowed to live or not. He was her husband. He was everything she had ever wished for while Ranger… Well, he was Ranger. They had one night of mindblowing sex, yeah, but that was about it. He never made her any promises, hell, he had made clear that she couldn't expect anything from him, so why was her heart twitching painfully at the thought that she may have lost him forever by merely sleeping with her goddamn husband?!

Oh yeah, she definitely needed sugar, thought Steph grimly. Getting up, she quickly dressed, told Rex she'd be right back and then snatched up the keys for Big Blue to make a quick run over to the Tasty Pastry. Unfortunately, as soon as she was driving, her thoughts immediately drifted back to the mess that was her life.

So even if Ranger was going to indicate that he maybe could imagine to try a relationship with her – was she really ready to risk what she had with Pat for that slight possibility? Could she let him go again? Losing Pat had nearly destroyed her and as much as his fake death still angered her – mostly, she was just deeply grateful that he was still alive after all. And to have him back in her arms… It healed some deep wounds in her she hadn't known were still there. In a way, she guessed he even completed her. Could she really throw all that away for something she wasn't even sure was an option, let alone the better one?

She thought not.

But still… Truth was also that as wonderful as Pat was – she had mourned him and had dealt with his death a long time ago already. There was a part of her who thought that no matter how wonderful it was to have him back – she had overcame it, had moved on, opening her life and her heart for something new. Someone new. And, as she slowly realized more and more, that someone new had been Ranger, weaseling his way in and in until the idea of him and her was now deeply ingrained in her heart and mind.

It was the same part in her that had compelled her to become a bounty hunter and even despite all obstacles, made her hold out and not give it up. And it also had been that part of her who had agreed to that fateful deal with Ranger and then actually even going through with it.

And that same part now whispered to her to not go back again but keep moving forward.

Steph probably had never been so happy in her life to see the Tasty Pastry as right in that moment. She maneuvered Big Blue into the parking lot, jumped out and hurried inside. She needed doughnuts. And Bagels. And chocolate. Hell, she needed a birthday cake. _Desperately_.

Shelley behind the counter seemed to recognize her desperateness because she was already calling out into the back to get one of the leftover birthday cakes from yesterday ready while she stashed doughnuts and bagels into a box. If Steph was swinging the other way around, she'd kiss and marry Shelley on the spot. As it was, Steph gave her her most grateful look, dipped her a fiver and clung to the two boxes as the lifesavers they were as she went back outside to Big Blue. Not wanting to let go of the precious freight, she balanced the boxes on her hip while she tried to open the door.

"Hello, Anisha. Long time no see."

She froze, feeling her intestines clench in cold fear. Very slowly, she looked up. "Felton."

Sure enough, there he stood, in all his six feet two, muscled and toned skin glory. He was attractive, even in his fifties, with his only slightly grey blond hair and his ice blue eyes, but Steph never had felt that pull she usually had to attractive men. His eyes may be stark, but they always had been cold and his features may be favorable but she had thought they had always had a cruel twist around them.

Felton smiled at her and she involuntarily shivered. He took the boxes out of her arms, opened the door, put them and her bag inside, closed the door again and locked it with the keys he had taken out of her hands as well. "Come on," he told her softly, grabbing her arm. "We're going to make a little trip. There are some people who'd like to meet you." The hold on her arm wasn't hurtful but it sure was tight, leaving her no room to yank free. Not that she'd have bothered to even try. This was a freaking NSA agent who had turned traitor. She knew she stood no chance against him. It was better she played on time. Ranger sure still had his men on her, not that she'd have noticed them. But that was how it was supposed to be and she knew Ranger. He wouldn't let her out of his eyes, so to speak, while there was still a threat to her loose on the streets.

Steph swallowed and swallowed again as he led her over to a green Mercedes. "Let me guess: Zacharius and Oswald Bauer," she said, fishing out those names from the little interrogation with the thug last night. Discreetly, she tried to make out Ranger's men. They had to show up any second now. They wouldn't let Felton get her into the car, not if they loved their lives.

Felton smiled again. "Ah, Anisha, you always were too smart for your own good." He opened the door and held it open for her. "Get in, please."

"I never had the impression that you held me in any kind of high opinion," Steph stalled though. Where the heck were the Rangemen?!

He shrugged. "I didn't like you screwing up Patrick's focus. Men in his line of work shouldn't allow themselves to become attached to anyone, let alone a woman and children even. It sooner or later always kills them and leaves a widow and orphans who have to deal with the loss. Or even worse, get killed as collateral damage. I never was against you personally though. Now please get in."

"Is that why you lied to me and Patrick about his supposedly death or my marriage with Dickie? Or omitted the fact that I've been pregnant with Pat's child? Have you any idea what pain you caused with those lies? That lie killed my daughter!" Steph hissed, pure hate surging through every vein of her.

"Anisha, I'm truly sorry for Brianna, really. But believe me – in the end it was for the best," Felton sighed.

"Don't you dare say her name," Steph warned him through clenched teeth. She couldn't bear hearing her name from the lips of this - monster.

"I don't expect you to understand me or my motivation," Felton said though, ever so softly, his eyes intent on her. "But I assure you that all I did in this special affair was for the safety of you and Patrick. Especially though Patrick. I do love him as if he was my own son. Just look at what being associated to him brought the both of you: Pain and death. Your child is already dead, you, my dear, I fear will soon follow your daughter into death and I will have to work hard for Patrick not following the both of you as well. All just because you two have been together once, love each other."

Steph snorted, balling her hands. The nerve of this bastard! "Rather, it's because you are a fucking lying asshole and even worse, a traitor. We only suffered so much pain because you never told me that Pat had survived after all while you told Pat that I had moved on and was happy without him, never telling him that he had a daughter either. And if we're going to die now it's because you ratted me and therefore also Pat out to those guys and not because of Pat getting back together with me!" She actually shook, so angry she was. "And please, don't try to sell yourself as a loving and worried father here when you with your traitorous past probably risked Pat's life time and time again. Or was it not you who sent him on this FURBAR mission in the first place? Wasn't it because of you selling information out that Kev ended up being killed, Kev, who was like a brother to Pat and the only family he had left? No, Felton, you are the person here who endangers and hurts Pat the most and will get him killed eventually."

"Trust me, Anisha, if I had wanted him dead, he'd long be gone," Felton told her. "And you have no idea how sorry I am about Kev. But he had gotten too close to me, I had no choice but to silence him before he told too much. Now please get into the car. I won't be asking you another time," he added and the warning chilled her to the very core of her. She scanned the street a last time for the Rangemen but there still was no sign of them. It was then that she felt the first strings of panic waving through her.

But perhaps they were ordered to stay back and follow, only to intervene if bodily harm was inflicted. Yeah, that was possible. She had a hard time believing Ranger would actually really taking that risk with her, but then again, this was their chance to have Felton lead them to Bauer and Zacharius as well and then take them all out and not just Felton. Which in the end would ensure her safety once and for all. So yeah, perhaps Ranger and maybe even Pat had decided to grab the opportunity and use her as bait. That had to be it. Taking a deep, calming breath, Steph swallowed her doubts, told herself firmly that Ranger was still watching over her and got into the Mercedes, wordlessly.

But she sure hoped Ranger knew what he was doing.

* * *

He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but Ranger was certain that there was something different with McParrish this morning, as he gave him the report of their interrogation of Charlie. He seemed more – relaxed. Content. And unfortunately, Ranger had a pretty good idea just what had brought on this new air of happiness around the guy and he tried hard to ignore the sharp pain this suspicion caused in his chest.

_Mierda._

He was too late. He had lost her…

Or maybe not. Just how many times had she slept with the cop and she still had been his? Well, at least to some extend. He glanced at the dark haired Irish man in front of him and suppressed a groan. Yeah, but with him it was different, he could just feel it. Still… They had been married once. Torn apart by death and not by a fight or divorce even. It could be possible that they just had to sleep together again to get each other out of their system – to get closure.

He looked into McParrish's green eyes and quickly averted his eyes again. He knew that look and it certainly was not the look of a man who would let the woman of his heart get away anytime soon again. No, it was the look that promised eternity, the final settle down for the rest of a man's life.

_Joder._

His intercom beeped and glad for the interruption, he passed it through. His relief quickly vanished though and he put Tank on loudspeaker.

"…Woody set off the alarm, but neither he nor Jaco are responding to our calls."

"Steph?" Ranger asked tightly. It wasn't a good sign if the tail on her wasn't answering anymore. His men knew better than not to report back to base immediately. Across of him, McParrish tensed.

"I don't know, Ric. Big Blue's still in front of the Tasty Pastry and the bug on her was left in the car with her bag I guess," Tank reported, his voice tense and grim. "Les and Bobby are already on their way over but – I think they've got the Bombshell."

Yeah, most likely, Ranger agreed silently and could see by the sudden paleness that McParrish thought so as well. This wasn't good. "How far away are Les and Bobby?"

"ETA six minutes."

"I want them to call me the second they arrive on the scene. How far are we with the location of the warehouse?" Ranger wanted to know, his voice sharp.

"On it, boss."

Ranger frowned. "Move it up, Tank. I want a location in five minutes."

Tank was too smart to remind Ranger that that would hardly be a likeable timeframe and just got off the line with a short "Yes, Sir."

"What warehouse?" McParrish wanted to know immediately.

"I was coming to that. Charlie told us he was supposed to bring her to a warehouse. He didn't know which one though. Once they had Steph he was supposed to call and get a location," Ranger quickly explained, staring at his desk. "We've tried to let him call him the given number of course, but the line had already been disconnected. They knew they had failed. I now have my men going through the paperwork and informants to see which warehouses could be a possible hit. It's slow work though."

McParrish nodded slowly. "They'll be too smart to use the names of one of their various daughter enterprises. And I guess there are quite a few warehouses in Trenton."

"Sevenhundredandfourtyeight exactly," Ranger told him and continued to stare down. He wanted to pace, fuck, he wanted to rip off some heads, anything but just stay here and do nothing while his Babe…

The intercom beeped again and Ranger had the call passed through even before the first beep stopped. "Talk."

"Woody and Jaco are dead, Ric," Les' voice reported, his voice tight with rage and worry. "Both shot through the head, nice and clean. They never had a chance but died quickly. Big Blue's still here, the Pastry boxes and her bag are in the car but no trace of the Bomber herself. We've talked to the Pastry lady and she said Steph got into a green Mercedes with a slightly older man. Blond going on white, at least six feet and good looking."

"Felton," McParrish growled, his hands fisting.

Les continued his report. "They seemed to have a heated conversation, at least on the Bomber's part, but there was no force involved so the lady saw no reason to alert anyone."

His heart heavy, Ranger nodded and slowly sank into his chair. Madre de Dios… "Take care of Woody and Jaco. Make sure everything is processed correctly. I don't want any doubts left once we nail Felton with their murders, first degree. Stay with them as long as necessary."

"Got it," Les answered quietly and clicked off. Sadly, this hadn't been the first time they've lost comrades. Though this had been the first losses since RangeMan had been founded, making it perhaps a bit harder. But now was still not the time to mourn them. "Tank, you there?" Ranger asked, his voice carefully controlled.

"Yeah."

"Get me their files. I'll need to contact their families," Ranger instructed him through a clenched jaw. God, he hated that part of the job.

"Sure," Tank too answered quietly.

Unfortunately though, dealing with his men's death was only secondary at the moment. His Babe had been kidnapped. First the mission had to be done: find her. And once they found her, they'd also find the men responsible for his men's death and then they would pay dearly. "Also, I need an ABP on that Mercedes. It's probably rented. I want to know by whom and since when. And give the cops a call, tell them about Steph's abduction. They'll keep their eyes open and maybe see something. And get me the location of that warehouse finally!" He broke the transmission without waiting for Tank's answer.

For a long moment, the two men in Ranger's office were absolutely silent.

"They need her to lure me in," McParrish finally broke the silence, reassuring himself more than just analyze the situation, Ranger guessed.

He cut his eyes towards the other man and gave a short nod. Yeah, they'd probably keep his Babe alive for the time being – but that didn't mean she'd be speared torture or – worse things.

"They'll contact me," McParrish added, sounding a lot surer than he looked like.

"Probably. The question is when," Ranger said quietly.

McParrish looked away but nodded. Neither of them had anything more to say.

Waiting was always the worst part.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Yep, we're moving forward with this story. I hope every last one of you is now on the edge of your seats... Evil grin. Thanks for all the reviews and until soon for the next chapter!)_


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Ranger sure took his time, Steph thought grimly, watching Felton talking with Bauer and Zacharius. They both kept looking over to her, Zacharius with hungry eyes that made her skin crawl and Bauer with dead eyes that just crept her out. If having the choice, she'd take Zacharius and the rape promised in his disgusting lecherous gaze anytime over what promise lay in those soulless pits of Bauer.

But of course she wouldn't have to make a choice. Ranger knew where she was, would tell Pat and probably the cops too and soon, they would bust in here and free her, putting those three deranged whackos out for good.

Then what the hell was Ranger waiting for?

Gritting her teeth, Steph told that damn dubious inner voice of hers to shut up. She didn't know why Ranger and co hadn't swarmed the whole place in the three hours she was here now yet, but she was sure there was a good reason for it.

There had to be. Because the only reason why she wasn't freaking out yet and dying out of sheer fear was the thought of the cavalry being close.

If she lost that belief…

Felton stepped away from the two other whackos and headed her way, causing her to tense in dread. It never was good when the bad guys wanted anything from the bound, gagged and innocent woman kept as a hostage and bait.

"We're going to call Patrick now," Felton told her, removing the gag. "He'll want to talk to you. You'll cooperate."

Despite the pretty much fucked-up situation, Steph bristled. She just couldn't stand being told what to do, let alone from this guy who really hadn't any right to tell her anything, gun in his hand or not. "And if I don't?"

Felton shrugged. "That's still being discussed. Zacharius votes for a quick fick and some beating up. Oswald on the other hand think cutting of some body parts would work better. And we're not talking fingers or toes here, Anisha," he added, looking meaningful down at her breasts.

Her heart beat sped up and she swallowed. Okay… "What do you want me to say?" she sighed. A call couldn't hurt, could it?

Felton smiled and she could have kneed him for that self righteous smile. "Oh, it's enough if you just say hello. You may also remind him to do what we say so we won't hurt you. You won't speak for long, just long enough so he knows that you're still alive. You will not give him any indication of where we are."

Considering that she had no idea where she was other than that it was a warehouse, saying nothing about that wouldn't be a problem. As for the rest… she wouldn't say more than what she had to and she sure wouldn't plea Pat for anything. She wouldn't let them turn her into more of a guilt bringer than they already had, should something go wrong after all.

But nothing would go wrong. Ranger would see to that.

Felton's disgusting smile deepened. "Oh I forgot to mention it to you so far: In case you're hoping for your friend Manoso to rescue you – you better give up on that hope. I'm afraid the two men watching you met an – unfortunate fate. But I couldn't let them stop me taking you or worse, follow us, could I?"

Suddenly having trouble to breath, Steph was too shocked to say anything. He had to lie. There was no way he had killed Ranger's men… It just couldn't be.

But… This would sure explain why Felton had been able to kidnap her in the first place. Or why Ranger hadn't come yet.

_He had no idea where she was._

Oh God… And his men… She didn't know who had been on her this morning but she sure must have known them, she knew most of his men by now. And they were dead now? Because of her?

_God…_

Tears sprang to her eyes and she felt sick and leaned to the side as much as she could as she emptied the few contents that still were in her stomach.

They were dead. Brutally been killed because of her. How could she ever look into the eyes of any of the Merry Men again? How could she ever face Ranger again? How could she live with this guilt?

Oh no! Some of them had families! What if one of the pure guys had had a family...

She didn't want to give Felton the satisfaction but she just couldn't otherwise than sob helplessly, breathing harshly.

"I think we're ready to make that call now," Felton smiled satisfied, taking out his phone.

* * *

Tired to the bone, Ranger stepped down the steps of the house he had just left. His men still working on a location on Bauer, Zachrius, Felton and most importantly his Babe but nothing coming up and McParrish's phone keeping its silence, he had decided to bite the bullet and had gone out to inform his men's people of their death. Besides, Woody's parents and Jaco's wife and siblings deserved to hear it from him and not the police or worse, the news. They had been his men, they had been killed while working for him and they had been his responsibility. This was his job alone. As expected, they hadn't taken it well. Still, he had known that the least they could need was him lingering for longer than it was necessary. It was always best to go in, come straight to the point and then leave again as soon as possible. They didn't need his repeated assurances of how sorry he was that he had sent their loved ones straight into their death or not even that the men responsible for their death would pay for the murders. That would only come later. Right now they needed to be alone with their pain. And later, when they were ready for revenge, he hopefully would have caught Felton - and seen to it, that the asshole was rotting in hell by then.

That was what his job now was. Complete the mission. For his men and for his own sake. And in consequence, he would make sure that Felton and his buddies were going down, for good. No matter what it cost. And should they have hurt his Babe, may Dios have mercy with them because he sure as hell would not.

Speaking of his babe… There was still a last visit he had to pay, he thought with a heavy heart, walking back to his truck. Unless… "Any news?" he asked McParrish as soon as he got into the car.

The other man shook his head, avoiding his eyes. He hadn't talked much since the news of Steph's abduction had come and as the same went for him as well, Ranger didn't probe any further. Instead, he sighed and pulled out. "Then we need to inform Steph's family now. I would wait until we have her back but Les warned me that the news have caught wind of her kidnapping and the murders of my men. I guess the woman from the Tasty Pastry has called them."

McParrish sighed as well. "Yeah, I guess we have no choice then." He made a grimace. "Frank Plum is going to kill me."

Ranger glanced at him, then back at the street. "He seems harmless enough."

McParrish snorted. "Then you don't know him very well."

Actually, Ranger indeed didn't. But… "I've noticed that there is quite a respect and even fear among the Burg people in regard of Mr Plum. I never found out why though," he admitted and it was true that this irked him quite a bit. He didn't like to be in the dark about anything, period, let alone anything concerning his Babe.

"Honestly, I'm not sure either and Heaven knows I've tried to find out," McParrish said with a shrug. "He sure was more than a postman though and maybe, he still is. I don't know. I _do_ know however that crossing him or messing with his family is not a good idea and a very unhealthy thing to do. And I also know that Nisha hasn't gotten her talent for the bounty hunting or her stubbornness for that matter from her mother. She may have gotten her curiosity and her hormones from Grandma Mazur but the rest, I guess, is pretty much all her father."

Ranger contemplated that theory and had to smile. Yeah, that may have nailed it pretty well. It still didn't explain the mystery of Frank Plum though but then again, this hardly was important right now. He had to admit that he too was a bit wary to face Frank Plum right now and he sure wasn't customed to do wary.

He pulled into the street of her parents, gave the team on them a little wave and proceeded to pull into the Plum's driveway.

"There he comes" McParrish murmured and looking up, Ranger saw Steph's father coming out of the garage, heading directly towards them while wiping his oily hands with a rug. His face was dark and he didn't lose any time as Ranger and McParrish stepped up to face him.

"Don't tell me you idiots lost my little girl," Frank Plum growled, giving them both a hard glare.

McParrish visibly swallowed. "Frank, I promise you…"

"I'm not giving anything on your promises, McParrish. As far as I'm concerned, knowing you has only brought hurt to my daughter so far. When she first met you and now once again, be it your fault that she's been kidnapped or not. And you," he rounded on Ranger, his blue eyes an ice cold storm, "you're supposed to be one of the best and still you couldn't keep her safe."

It was his turn to swallow, no matter how much Ranger fought that urge. "No I couldn't," he admitted. "They have her now and two of my men are dead. But I'll get her back."

"You better," Steph's father told him quietly and once again Ranger had to fight the urge to squirm. He started to understand McParrish's reservations concerning Frank Plum.

Before he could respond anything though, McParrish's cell phone rang. Catching his eyes, McParrish had it out in a second. "Aye." He listened for a second, then growled. "Jerry."

Both Ranger and Mr Plum tensed, listening while McParrish put the call on speaker phone.

"…you're missing someone."

McParrish's grip on the phone tightened. "If you hurt her, Jerry…"

"That's entirely up to you, Patrick. My friends here are only secondarily interested in her. What they want is you," Felton told him evenly.

McParrish's jaw clenched. "Fine. They can have me, I don't care. Just as long as they let Nisha go, unhurt, I'll do whatever they want."

Felton sighed. "You really disappoint me, son. I have hoped that you'd know better than risk everything for a woman."

"I am not your son, Jerry," McParrish corrected him hotly. "And you've told me this bullshit my whole life already but you know what? I don't give a damn on what you say anymore. You were never able to open yourself up enough to let anyone in, let alone a woman, you selfish son of a bitch, so you have no idea what you are talking about. If you had then you'd know that meeting and marrying Nisha was the best thing I've ever done in my life and that loving her never, for a single second, weakened me but actually made me stronger and even more motivated for my job because now, I wasn't just doing it for my country but also to protect my wife and the children we may have one day."

"And yet you will die today and all the good you still could have done for your country is lost," Felton said, actually sounding regretfully.

McParrish shook his head but instead of bothering to answer Felton, he changed the topic. "Let me talk to Nisha, so I know she's still alive, and then I'll do whatever you ask me to do."

There was a long moment of silence in which the hearts of all three men sped up and then came the relief when Steph's voice came through, annoyed and hesitating but still strong and full of life. "Pat?"

"Did they hurt you?" McParrish still asked straight out though. They all needed to hear her answer this question, not just rely on the strength in her voice.

"No. Don't worry, Pat, I'm fine. Pissed off but fine," Steph immediately reassured them all. "I'm just so sorry about Ranger's men. Are they really dead?"

Ranger's hands balled to fists. She shouldn't have to worry about his men while she was still in the hands of all those bastards or even feel guilty about their death. And yet this was exactly one of the many reasons why he loved her: her incredible compassion with pretty much everyone. Be it a human, an animal or anything else.

"Yeah," McParrish told her quietly in the meantime. "But it wasn't your fault, Nisha. Jerry killed them, not you."

"They still died because of me though," Steph answered, her voice full of regret and remorse - and tears.

Ranger hated it and he would have loved to take the phone out of McParrish's hands to reassure her himself that no one blamed her for their death. Unfortunately, that would be a really bad idea at the moment so he held himself back. Once they had his Babe back though he would make sure that she understood that what had happened with Woody and Jaco had never been her fault.

"They did their job, Nisha, and they knew the risk. And I promise you that we will get you out," McParrish reassured her, his voice tight with emotion.

"I know, I…" Her voice broke off and three hearts stopped for a moment.

"That was enough," Felton's voice came back over the phone. "You know now that she's still alive and even unhurt. That won't stay so if you don't do what we tell you though. You'll come to the train station in the North, alone of course and unarmed. We see anyone following you or find a tracker on you, Zacharius will have a first go with your precious wife. And I assure you he is already very eager to get a taste of that voluptuous white body of hers."

McParrish's eyes flared with rage and Frank Plum seemed to have a hard time to hold himself back as well. Not that Ranger was any better. His blood rushed in his ears and a blood lust slowly started to fill him like he hadn't experienced one since his last time in the jungle.

"In the deposit box 395 you will find a cell phone, programmed with only one number. The key to the deposit box you'll find under the left sink in the men's restroom beside the ticket desks. Call the number and you'll get further instructions. You pass those new instructions along or anyone else shows up at our meeting place, Zacharius and Oswald will then take care of Anisha and I think we both know what she has to expect then, don't we? You actually should know it for best, after all the time you've spent with Oswald. I tell you, he's really still very angry about your betrayal and eager for revenge," Felton continued. "You have one hour for the call. After that, all bets are off and you will only see Anisha in pieces again. Counting from now on."

The line went dead and for a long moment, neither of them was able to speak. At last, McParrish reached for his gun and second piece and pulled them out, handing them over to Ranger, quickly checking the time. "Frank, I need to borrow your car. They'll know that Ranger's car got GPS on it."

"You can't go in alone. You know as well as me that they won't let Steph go. They simply can't, not now after she's seen them. She simply knows too much already," Ranger said quietly, keeping his emotions at bay. Panicking never helped. "And you'll never be able to free her on your own, not with three on one and especially not with those men."

"I know. But if I follow their instruction she'll at least stay unharmed until I'll get there," McParrish answered grimly. "And then I may be able to stall them long enough for you to reach her and get her out."

"That's a nice plan but how exactly am I supposed to know where I have to go to without the means of tracking you?" Ranger asked, too worried to really sound sarcastic.

"I'll find a way to contact you," McParrish just answered confidently though.

Now he was getting angry though. Ranger for sure wasn't betting his Babe's life solely on this guy's confidence in his abilities, no matter how good he was. He wouldn't even risk that if he had to be the one having to follow the instructions.

Before he could protest once again though he got interrupted by Frank Plum. "No, you better don't risk that. Felton got twenty ears on you and while always having been a mean son of a bitch he also is too smart for you getting the better of him. We'll keep a satellite on you from now on and will listen into your side of the conversation with a parabola. Now go before it's too late. The traffic on Houston is bad at this time of the day."

Neither Ranger nor McParrish moved though, simply staring at Steph's father, too shocked about the turn of events. He wanted to come with them? Steph was so going to have their hides for that.

"What are you still standing around here? Move your asses, boys," Mr Plum impatiently ordered. It's been years since Ranger had last been called 'boy' by anyone outside of his family and he didn't particularly liked it. Nor being ordered around by anyone who he had no idea of what ground this guy had for doing so. But he exchanged a look with McParrish and then they both shrugged and followed the order. Mr Plum's plan was by far the most promising so far. Besides - something told Ranger that Mr Plum wouldn't accept a no and actually better not even attempt to try to say no to this man.

McParrish got into Mr Plum's taxi while Steph's father followed Ranger to his car.

"Manoso."

Ranger turned back around to meet McParrish's intent eyes. "Your job is to get out Nisha. Nothing else. Once she is safe you can proceed how you deem necessary, but she comes first. Understood?"

It sure wasn't necessary to remind him of the priorities in this case, but Ranger held back any comments and just nodded.

"And should I not make it out, you will take care of her," McParrish continued, his voice final. But Ranger could see the question in the green eyes of the Irish and seriously, he nodded once again. "Yeah, I will. She'll be safe," he promised, hesitating for a second. But this was not the time to keep secrets. "And I'll do my best to make her happy again."

McParrish held his eyes for a long moment longer, then he nodded and opened the car. "Don't get me wrong: I fully intend to make it out alive today. So don't get your hopes up too much," he added with a warning glare and got into the car.

Ranger made a face. "Duly noted, _Sir_."

McParrish piled out onto the street and vanished in a pile of dust. Turning around, Ranger found himself confronted with the piercing eyes of Frank Plum and he actually took a step back before he managed to stop himself. Jesus… Who was this guy?

"I don't know what it is with Stephanie that she seems to attract dangerous men, be it to hurt her or to fall for her, but Manoso, I do not appreciate hearing you and that other idiot passing her along like this and I doubt she'd like it much either," Steph's father told him, his eyes never wavering. "But know this: if I find out this exchange over my daughter is just due to a silly power game you and McParrish are engaging in, you will wish you were at Bauer's mercy and not mine."

Ranger felt himself bristle, another emotion he didn't usually do. McParrish must have been more right with his Babe inheriting most of her treats from her father than Ranger had given it credit. However, it was time to make one thing perfectly clear here. "With all due respect, but that's not only insulting to us but most of all to your daughter. McParrish loves your daughter. So do I. Very much so indeed. But the choice is hers and hers alone, if fate intervenes or not."

Once again, Ranger found himself with his eyes being locked with a man who loved his Babe, him being her father probably loving her more than anyone else, and once again he refused to step down. He may have taken forever to come to his senses but by God, if she had him despite the small chances for that, he needed her father to understand this.

At last, Frank Plum shook his head and sighed. "Very well. Consider yourself warned though. But now we should see to it that we get my girl back in one piece."

Ranger nodded. "What about your wife and Mrs Mazur? The reporters are on the story. They shouldn't learn it from the news."

Mr Plum glanced back at his house, his face serious. "I've already warned them that Stephanie's in trouble. They'll keep away from the television and the phone until I call Ellen on her cell phone."

Ranger had the impression that this wasn't a first time occurrence but rather a standard procedure but he kept his mouth shut and simply got into the car. "Getting a satellite and a listening parabola won't be that easy."

Mr Plum slid into the passenger's seat. "I have some contacts. You just drive."

He still didn't like taking orders from Mr Plum, but by all means, if the man had contacts… Besides, he was starting to agree with McParrish. Messing with Frank Plum was not a very smart thing to do – or very healthy.

* * *

TBC!

(Author's Note: Well, well, well, I hope you liked it there on that hot seat... evil grin. I do hope you liked this new chapter as well and will await as eager for the next chapter as you had for this one. Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews and more soon!)


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Slowly, Pat stepped up to the front of the big gates of the warehouse and took a deep breath. He had just made it to the train station in time, thankfully finding the key and the deposit box without problems. Jerry had him sent to two more places before finally giving him the address of the warehouse where they were hiding and keeping Nisha. At least he hoped so. If Nisha wasn't here…

Grimly, he stopped right there. He refused to follow that thought to the end. He just hoped that Frank's plan had worked and they had been able to somehow follow him to this place. As hard as it was to admit this, he knew that his chances to get Nisha safely out of there on his own were slim to non-existent. All he really could do was occupy Bauer's and Zacharius' and Jerry's attention long enough for Manoso to get here and get Nisha out. If Frank Plum helped him do that even better. And it was kind of reassuring to know that they would concentrate only on his Nisha's safety and nothing else, both of them loving his amazing wife deeply.

Still… Having to go in there and not being able to do anything to get Nisha out of there – or worse, having to watch one of these monsters hurt her… It was probably the hardest thing he ever had to do, even harder than to stay away from her all these years.

Not that he really had any choice here. This was Bauer's game, and Jerry's, not his. Then again, Jerry may have been a lying and treacherous scumbag but he had trained Pat well. He had chosen him for his ability to think quickly and improvise in the worst situation. And also for his talent of deceiving and winning even if the odds were against him. Plus, over the years, Pat had learnt a lot from his enemies and had found a good way to turn their methods against themselves. He had learnt especially a lot from Bauer himself, as sick as that made him sometimes. The nearly two years he had spent at this monster's side were probably the worst of his life apart of perhaps the year spent as a POW in that hellhole in Columbia when Nisha had been told that he had died.

Destroying both their lives and killing their daughter. And all of this because of Jerry. Pat had respected that man as his mentor and had loved him as a father... And now it turned that this man had most likely sold him out to the Columbian drug lords all those years ago, to then tell Nisha and later him as well all those devastating, cruel lies. And if it was the last thing he did, he would not let Jerry get away another time. Not again.

As long as Jerry or any of those men in there were free, Nisha would be in danger. Actually, Pat doubted that she'd ever be safe as long as they were still alive.

Well, they would see what would happen in the next hour. One thing was for sure though: if he went down he for sure wouldn't go down alone. If anything he wanted to at least take Jerry with him. The rest… He somehow doubted that Manoso or even Frank were very squeamish about relieving the world of some guys who really could not be called human anymore. Actually, as far as he knew, Manoso had already killed in order to keep Nisha safe and Abruzzi sure hadn't been a loss for this world.

First though they needed to get Nisha out of there, preferably unhurt.

While he took care of the men keeping her capture.

Time to face the music.

He opened the doors and stepped in, his hands raised.

And with a prayer on his lips.

* * *

The guy with the lecherous gaze, Zacharius, was getting antsy, Steph could tell. And the creepy guy, Bauer, was losing his patience as well. But Felton kept reminding them that their revenge would be either better if Pat was there to watch it. And he kept reassuring them that watching her getting hurt by them while being unable to do anything about it would hurt him more than any torture they could inflict on him and that held them back so far. Still… Sooner or later they wouldn't care to wait for Pat anymore and start without him.

It was about damn time for the cavalry to show up.

As if on cue, the door to the warehouse opened, having the three men turning with their guns ready. She recognized the silhouette as Pat's immediately and her throat closed off with fear, especially as he closed the door after him again and she comprehended that he actually seemed to be alone.

Stupid idiot. What the hell was he thinking, coming in here alone? Did he really think this would change anything? With or without his cooperation, they were going to kill her. They had no choice, she definitely knew too much by now. He had to know that better than her. So what the hell did he think he would accomplish with this stupid stunt? All it would result in was the both of them dying and by God, enough men had already died for her this day.

"I suppose it's too much to ask to let Nisha go now that I am here?" Pat asked resigned once Felton had searched him quickly for any weapons or trackers.

Finding none.

But how were Ranger and his men able to find and rescue them then? And they just had to come. They just had to.

"No, not really," Felton told him quietly and shook his head, having the nerve to look sad. "You shouldn't have come."

Pat faced him and Steph shuddered and the pure hate in his eyes. "There never had been a question about that but I don't expect you to understand that."

"You're a fool," Felton sighed and stepped away from Pat.

To her surprise, Pat nodded, serious. "Yeah. I've been a fool to ever trust you. Just how many of our men did you kill, Jerry? Just how many deaths have you caused indirectly? And for what? What was in it for you? Just money?"

Felton shrugged. "I sure won't ever have to worry about money again. And once this is over, I'll leave the States for the last time to retire on a nice Caribbean isle. But most of all I actually did it for the thrill. The job was getting boring, especially whenever the fucking democrats were in power."

Pat looked as if being hit. "I never really knew you, did I?"

Felton just smiled at that.

"And Kev? His mission was supposed to be simple and then it went all FUBAR. Were you responsible for that also?" Pat wanted to know and Steph could see just how much the thought alone hurt him. When Felton simply laughed his face closed off, showing nothing anymore. Never a good sign with Pat. "And now you're trying your best to have my wife killed. I swear to you, Jerry, you will not get away with this. I will personally see to that."

"We will see about that," Felton answered softly, actually seeming to be pleased.

Steph felt sick and her heart hurt for Pat. He had loved this man and to be betrayed by him like this… She could only imagine how hard this must hit him.

"You sure are dreaming if you think you have any say left, Karl," Bauer interrupted them, stepping forward and his eyes coming to life for the first time. Not that that was any better, Steph thought and shuddered at the pure need for revenge in them.

Pat shifted his attention towards him. "Oswald. It's such a displeasure to see you again." He glanced at Zacharius. "And I see your top dog is still eager for any bones thrown his way by you. Aren't you tired to always thrive for Oswald's attention here?"

"The only thing I'm tired of is to have to listen to the bullshit you constantly are letting out," Zacharius responded, hotly, looking at Bauer. "Can't we finally shut him up?"

Bauer ignored him, his eyes fixed on Pat. "You didn't only disappoint me gravely, you betrayed me. I was planning to leave you everything, once I stepped down. You wormed your way into my house and my trust. To only stab me into the back. Did you really think I would stay in prison and let you get away with crossing me in such a shameful way?"

"I had hoped someone would have the guts to take you out while they could, yeah, but mostly, Oswald, I have to admit that your guys had simply been faster in getting you out than even I had imagined," Pat answered him, unfazed. "And with all due respect – it took you what? Five years to find me and mine and only thanks to that traitor over there. After everything, I had expected more from you. Or, I guess, I am simply better at this game that you."

Bauer's face reddened and he stepped forward to strike him down, hard. Involuntarily, a cry escaped Steph's lips and hadn't she been bound to the chair she would have surched forward. Fortunately, neither of the men noticed her but solely concentrated on their little pissing contest, Patrick actually being the top dog among them. What the hell was that dumbhead thinking he was doing there?

Pat had stumbled a little under the blow but he kept upright and faced Bauer again with a smirk. "That all you've got? You've grown old and soft, Oswald."

Bauer didn't bother to respond but just struck forward, this time with a knife in his hand that sank deep into Pat's stomach. This time Steph's scream echoed through the warehouse as Pat sank to his knees, his hand pressing onto his wound.

"Still just a scratch, Ossie," Pat rasped, looking up. "You'll have to do a lot more to actually take me down."

"For Heaven's sake, shut up, you imbecile," Steph shouted at him, straining against the chains that held her in place.

"Come on, you were so much better at this. You were the master of inflicting pain, Ossie and now? Now you hardly managed to prick my skin and that after being here for almost fifteen minutes," Pat just continued to taunt Bauer though, ignoring her. "In the good old days you'd have had the hardest son of a bitch crying and begging for his life by now. Growing this soft must really bother you."

The knife sank into Pat's flesh again, into his shoulder this time, and Steph would have screamed again, if it hadn't been for the hand clamping down on her mouth. For a tiny moment, her heart stopped, but then she felt the back of her neck tingling with the familiar prickle she always felt in Ranger's proximity. And sure enough, his dark eyes swam into focus in front of her a second later, his finger pressed to his lips to signal her to be quiet before he went to work on freeing her from her chains. Trembling, she bit her tongue to keep silent as her eyes went back across the warehouse to Pat facing the three mad men on his own.

Keeping their attention off her for Ranger to have a chance to get her out, as she now recognized with a painful twitch of her heart. That fool…

"Still feeing like mouthing off to me?" Bauer asked nonchalantly, his eyes gleaming with pleasure though.

Pat, his face stark white and edged with pain, still managed to smirk back at him again. "Still not impressed, Ossie. So far you're no better than any psycho off the street."

Bauer smiled, a deranged and seriously twisted smile. "In that case I guess I have to just move on to your little wife here. Let's see how much you still feel like talking when I ram this knife up her mushi," he taunted and started to turn towards Steph.

Steph's blood froze and Ranger let out a single, Spanish curse and sped up with getting her chains off but Pat, despite his wounds and the guns trained on his head and heart, exploded up from the ground, grabbed Bauer's arm and twisted it, gaining the knife out of his hand while Zacharius' bullet hit Bauer in the chest instead of Pat. The chains fell away and Steph jumped up, ready to run to Pat's help, but Ranger's arms closed around her with more strength than the chains had had and dragged her backwards. She struggled against it, starting to kick for serious when a second shot rang through the warehouse. "Let me go," she cried, desperate, trying to see whom the bullet had hit this time.

Please don't let it be Pat, she prayed frantically.

To her immense relief she saw Zacharius fall to the ground. Pat wasn't safe by a long shot yet though and once again, she struggled against Ranger's grip. "Ranger, please!"

Finally, Ranger put her down, facing her with serious eyes. "Babe, you really want to help him, you have to get out of here. Because as long as you are in here he will only fight to keep you safe, regardless of what that means for his own safety. That's how we work. He'll only see to safe his own hide once you're safe."

His words hit home but still, she just couldn't leave him like that, could she?

In that moment every decision was taken out of her hand as Pat whirled the knife he had gained from Bauer, hitting Felton dead in his throat. His eyes widening in surprise, Felton fell down to the ground like a rock, but not before getting a shot off too. A shot that didn't miss Pat as he stumbled back, being brought first to his knees before falling sidewards.

"NO!" Steph screamed, lurching forward.

This time, Ranger didn't hold her back. Instead, he followed her, his gun drawn and trained on the men lying on the floor.

Steph came to a slithering halt beside Pat and fell to her knees, turning Pat into her arms as tears streamed down her face, unnoticed. "Pat?" she cried, trembling, seeing the profoundly bleeding body of her husband with three deep holes in it and cried harder, desperately trying to press her hands onto the two worst wounds in his stomach. No, no, no… "Please, Pat, you have to make it," she pleaded, desperate.

Pat's eyes were hooded with pain, the life in them slowly slipping away. "Nisha?"

"I'm here, I'm here. I'm fine. It's over," she hurriedly reassured him, bending down to press a kiss onto his lips. "You just hold on, you hear me? The ambulance will be here any moment now."

Another shot rang out and briefly looking up, she saw that Ranger had put a bullet through the eyes of Bauer, making sure he was as dead as Zacharius and Felton. Good. She forgot about them and looked down at her husband again. Her _dying_ husband. "Please, Pat, you can't do this to me again. I can't lose you again," she still tried to make Pat somehow holding on long enough for him to be saved, her voice thick with tears.

This could not be happening. Not again.

But Pat minimally shook his head. "Too late, Nisha," he rasped, each word obviously costing him a great deal. "So sorry."

Shaking her head, Steph pressed harder onto the wounds but the blood just kept spilling out in rivers. God, no… "Not your fault. It's okay," she whispered, barely able to get the words out.

Pat smiled, his beautiful green eyes growing more and more distant. "Love you. Always," he mouthed with his last breath.

"I love you too," Steph sobbed, giving up on his wounds and bringing her hands up to cradle his face as she gave him a last, desperate kiss.

When she lifted her lips from his again, she knew he was gone. Letting out a small whimper, she cradled his body against her and started to rock him, weeping quietly.

She had lost him. Again. He was dead, ripped away from her. Again.

This time though, there was no doubt about it. This time, there was no going back.

Pat was dead.

For real this time.

And her heart broke.

Again.

* * *

Watching his Babe's heart break as she rocked the body of her dead husband was, as Ranger quickly found out, the worst thing he ever had to endure. He would honestly had rather faced her leaving him for good as she decided for McParrish than to let her endure the pain she was now feeling.

Besides – he really had liked the Irish. If it hadn't been for his Babe he guessed they actually could have been friends. Perhaps still would have, had he stayed in Trenton. And had he wanted to, Ranger even would have offered him a job, he thought.

Sighing, Ranger looked down at his Babe, still clinging to McParrish's body.

Madre de Dios… And they had been so close. Felton's bullet hitting him was nothing more than a random hit. With Bauer dead and Steph's father taking out Zacharius they would have almost made it out of this God forsaken warehouse alive, all of them.

As it had turned out, Mr Plum's contacts really had been good, getting them a satellite almost immediately. Not only that, it had even been one of the secrets ones, therefore untraceable for the bad guys. And with the listening parabolas and the satellite it had been a child's play to follow McParrish to the warehouse. Getting in had been more of a challenge, but then again, Ranger hadn't had the best team possible for nothing and combined with his and also Mr Plum's help they had finally managed to take out the fifteen thugs guarding the warehouse and Ranger and Frank Plum could slip in unnoticed, Ranger to head for his Babe and Mr Plum to give McParrish and him some cover, while McParrish kept the three men inside busy. Getting the chains off his Babe and actually dragging her out of the line of fire had probably been the most difficult part.

He should have known it, though. Nothing with his Babe was ever easy. And expecting her to leave McParrish behind – that was just not her. To be fair, not even a herd of elephants could have kept him from leaving his Babe behind as well, so he could hardly blame her.

And then McParrish had taken out the last of the bastards.

Only to lose his life right along with Felton.

And his Babe…

His heart twisting in sympathy, Ranger kept his distance, no matter how much he longed to at least console her a little. The last thing she needed right now was anything he could offer her, so he let her be.

It was probably the hardest thing he ever had to do.

The sound of sirens penetrated the silence in the warehouse at last as the cops and the ambulance pulled up in front of it. Explaining all this and getting through the paper work would be hell. And another thing his Babe sure didn't need at the moment.

He met her father's eyes and Mr Plum nodded. Crouching down beside Steph, her father laid his hand on the back of her head and he whispered something into her ear. She shook her head but her tight grip on McParrish's body loosened. Mr Plum whispered something else and very reluctantly, his Babe finally let go of her dead husband. Not loosing any more time, Steph's father slipped his arms under her and lifted her, carrying her out of the warehouse through the backdoor they had had used to get in with a last nod in Ranger's direction. Outside, Tank would make sure that they would get away undetected by the cops and that they'd get home safely.

His most perfect mask slammed down, Ranger turned to face the boys in blue and brace the fire. Inside though, the memory of his strong Babe looking so small and vulnerable and lost in her father's arms was enough to break his heart as well, knowing that he had lost her today.

Still… He couldn't help but hope that eventually, he hadn't lost her forever after all.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: SO sorry for this unforgivable delay! I was caught up in NaNo, then my own project, work, holidays, the flue just now - but here it is now. The last chapter. Many of you will hate me now, I guess. I hate myself too a bit, to kill off my wonderful Pat like that. But it had to be, the story just demanded it from me - and in the end, I'll always be a hardcore Babe, so Ranger has to get his Babe in the end, doesn't he? And for that to be possible, Pat had to get out of the way - and I would never be so cruel to let Steph choose Ranger over him! Well, I hope you still stay along for the epilogue and definitely last piece of this story - which will come soon!)_


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Her heart heavy, Steph slowly stepped up to the gravestone and then knelt down in front of it after a long moment. She had dreaded coming here, and yet, she just had to come, there simply hadn't been any choice for her.

"Hey," she finally said quietly and it didn't feel as stupid as she had thought it would. No… It actually felt kind of right.

Her eyes read the words on the gravestone, the same Pat had had the first time around when she had buried him the last time.

_Patrick Brian McParrish_

_Loving husband and father_

_Taim i'ngra leat, mo ghràdhaich_

At first she had wanted to change it and also have him buried in Trenton, but then she had decided against it in the end. It somehow had felt wrong. Their past and their life had been spent here in Boston and most importantly, their daughter was buried here. Pat would want to rest with her and Steph wanted them together as well.

Especially now.

She looked down at the peacefully sleeping baby in her arms and carefully held him out, staring back at the gravestone through suddenly wet eyes. "This here is your son, Pat," she said quietly, then made a face. "Yeah, you did it again. Leaving me behind, heartbroken and pregnant with your child. You sure are developing a pattern here." She bit her lips and stared off, before looking back down at her little boy. "Not that I actually mind it. I'm so thankful for you giving me this little man here… For a while he was the only think keeping me going." A soft smile played her lips and she softly stroked over the tiny head. "He was born seven days ago, everything going smoothly. Well, it had hurt like a bitch and you probably heard a mouthful of the curses I put on you even here in your grave but still, it was a normal and relatively short birth, as I'm being told." She faced the gravestone again. "I gave him the name Patrick, for the man that had fathered him and dying before even getting the chance to know about him being on the way." She took a deep breath. "And I've already named him Ricardo, after the man who will bring him up and be his father in every sense of the word but the blood. I'm calling him Ricky though, so both of his fathers get a part in it while he still has his own name."

She fell silent, waiting for a moment although she had no idea for what. When nothing happened, she started to speak again. "I know it's been soon, but Pat… Ric had been there for me through everything, the devastation and pain after losing you, finding out about being pregnant by you again and then giving me a safe and well paid job while I had to quit bounty hunting. And all the million other little things I had to go through in the last ten months." She shook her head. "I've already loved him before you came back into my life, Pat, I'll be honest with you. And him showing me just how much he loved me with everything he did for me and the baby… it was easy to remember that love and finally recognize his way to show me his love. Please don't think that he had put any pressure on me. It had been nothing like with Dickie and I actually had to make the first move and believe me, that hadn't been easy to dare while being six months pregnant with another man's child. Thankfully it had worked out and Ric then didn't lose anymore time. And after everything that had happened, I was right there with him on every step on the way. We were married within a month and the wedding had been big. It's still the talk of the Burg, even three months later," she remembered with a smile. "And Julie, Ric's daughter, she's wonderful and I tell you, she already loves little Ricky here to pieces. She'll be a great big sister for him."

Her smile died and she turned serious again. "I promise you, when Ricky's old enough we're going to tell him about you, his other father, and about Brianna, his big sister who never had been allowed to live. And we'll bring him here, so he can meet you and Brianna. I'm going to show him the pictures of us and much later, when he's grown up, we're going to tell him how you died, protecting me and him."

Once again she fell silent, for a long while this time, the wind playing with her hair and the only sound some birds chirping. It was peaceful and for the first time since Pat had died she actually felt – complete. She had needed to do this, say goodbye, introduce him to his son. She knew he didn't mind her finding happiness with Ric or would resent him for being able to be the father to Ricky he never had a chance to. Actually, as silly as it seemed, she almost felt like Pat actually was there, giving them his blessing.

"I know you will be with our daughter, looking after her like I'm looking for our son in this word," she finally said, softly. "I love you, I always will, Pat. Still… I need to say goodbye now, so I can fully embrace the future. But I know you understand. You always have." She swallowed, blinking back the tears. "And one day, I'm sure we'll meet again," she whispered and slowly got up, leaving the lily she had brought along on his gravestone, stroking over it. "Until then, goodbye, _mo ghràdhaich_, my love."

Kissing their son, she turned away with a last look back and walked towards her future.

* * *

Leaning against his BMW, Ranger watched his wife coming back to him. Honestly, he still had trouble to believe his incredible luck sometimes. After that horrible day he had been sure he had lost his Babe for sure and he had tried to just be her friend, not even bothering to keep his distance yet again. Finding out about the baby had been a shock at first, especially for Steph. But she had needed him then more than ever and he was more than glad to be able to help her. It hadn't taken long and he had fallen more in love with her than ever and the baby… It didn't matter that it was McParrish's and not his, it had been easy to fall in love with it as well and start thinking of it as his. He still had held himself back, not wanting to pressure his Babe in her grief, figuring out that he needed to give her a lot more time before he could dare to offer her a relationship, a real one this time around.

Finding her in his apartment, clad in nothing than a black negligee, her eyes so full of hope but so vulnerable at the same time, had been the surprise of his life and by far the best. Proposing and marrying her on the spot had felt like coming home, at last, and it was easy to say that the last three months had been the happiest of his life, especially now, with their baby finally born into this world, a healthy perfect little baby boy.

That she then had even named the baby after him as well… His heart kept missing a beat each time he heard her saying their son's name.

Speaking of… He took Ricky out of Steph's arms and turned around to carefully secure him in the baby seat. For a moment, his eyes lingered on him and still not getting tired of watching the little miracle boy, he gently stroked over his head before he finally kissed the sleeping angel and straightened up. Dios, he loved that little guy so much already. And by God, Ricky was his son, in every part but him actually coming from his own seed, but that hardly mattered. He was going to bring Ricky up, he was going to teach him everything he needed to know and he was the one who would take care of him and protect him for the rest of his life. It scared the shit out of him and it exhilarated him at the same time and he was loving every second of it.

Even the changing the diaper part, for sure not his favorite part of fatherhood. He had dodged that bullet the last time around with Julie though, him being far away in war most of the time during her toddler years and he so was not going to miss any second of it with Ricky, actually enjoying it. Even this disgusting part. It was unbelievable what this little guy could produce into his diaper. And he sure hoped he could convince his Babe to try it yet another time, this time having their baby.

He was wise enough to wait for that suggestion for a while though, until she forgot about what a pain the birth actually had been. Maybe a year or two. Perhaps better make it three years.

Turning back to face his Babe, he took a good look at his wife's face. "You okay?" he finally asked softly.

Leaning against him, she nodded against his chest. "Yeah."

Ranger waited, just holding her. He knew it hadn't been easy for her to come here today. Part of her had always clung to McParrish, even during the funeral. And why not? She had loved McParrish, there never had been a doubt about that. He had been her husband and the father of her two children. And pregnant with his child, feeling it grow and moving inside of her, hadn't been easy on her either, the baby being a constant reminder of finding McParrish again only to lose him shortly after for good, leaving her behind alone, broken and pregnant. Ranger understood that and knew that, even while she loved him and of course Ricky very much, the loss of McParrish still was raw and just hurt. With Ricky born now though he did hope that his Babe would be able to finally move on for good.

Not that he was in any hurry. She could take all the time she needed and Ranger would gladly give it to her. For her sake though he couldn't help but hope for her to be able to let go of McParrish soon.

Leaning back, she looked up at him. "Thank you for coming with me." She swallowed. "And thank you for staying back right now. I needed to do this alone."

He simply nodded, there was no need for further words between them.

"I said goodbye to him," she added, very quietly.

His heart stopping for a moment, only to start again with a rush, Ranger searched her eyes to then squeeze her hands tightly. "I'm sorry," he said, actually the first time he ever had said those words to her in regard of McParrish's death.

But his Babe just shrugged and smiled sadly. "For Rick and for us, it needed to be done. And at least this time, I actually had the chance to say goodbye." She squeezed his hands back, her eyes serious. "There is something I need you to know, Ric. I loved Pat. I always will. And if he hadn't died I honestly can't say how it would have turned out after all. With Ricky on the way it's very much possible that I'd have ended up with Pat after all. We will never know, I guess. But I love you as well and you should know that it hadn't been just for the past months but actually for quite a while now." She stepped closer and stood up on her tip toes to kiss him, her kiss full of love. "I just thought that you should know that you never had been out of the picture, always staying in the run, even after my night with Pat."

This was more than he had ever hoped for and his emotions taking the better of him, he swooped his Babe off her feet to tightly embrace her and returning her kiss, pouring everything into it. He never had been that good with words anyway.

Smiling brightly, Steph gazed up at him as he put her back onto her feet again. "Ready to start our future now?"

Ranger grinned back at her, his two million watt smile that would have the entire womanhood falling to their knees. "Always, Babe."

**The End**

_(Author's Note: I'm still alive! Stank you for that and all the kind reviews for the last chapter. Here now, like promised, the epilogue and therefore really last piece of this story. It's pretty kitschy, I know, but hey, at least in ff one deserves a fluffy Happy End! I hope you like it and would like to thank every last one of you, who read until here - and maybe even left a comment or two for me in the reviews. I sure live for them!)_


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